# Pipe Blind Taste Test III



## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

It's time again for this years round of the Pipe Blind Taste Test. Here's the details.

How it works

Sign up here if you are interested.
After the list is created you will be assigned a partner.
You will send your partner samples of two different tobaccos. The samples should be sufficient enough to get 2 or 3 bowls of each tobacco sent. The baggies should be identified as Sample "A" & Sample "B".
Everyone is to smoke a couple bowls of their tobacco within three weeks of receipt and post a review and a guess as to what the tobacco is.

Who can play
Anybody! If you do not have a trade under your belt, you will need to send to your partner first. This is also a good way to get your initial trade.

What you send is up to you. Just don't send drugstore tobacco. Send something you would smoke yourself. English, VA, VaPer & Aromatic is fine. It can be either from a tin or bulk, a well known blend or a shop's custom blend, but try to find out if it really is "custom" or just a renamed bulk from a known blender. People are also welcome to add any tag alongs to keep the samples company.

Sign ups will go through May 21st. I'll partner everyone up and it will be up to the partners to exchange addresses. If you sign up please check back that week to see who you need to send the samples out to. Samples should be mailed out by the end of that week (the 26th). Smoke you samples and post a review in this thread in the next 3 weeks. Why would I want to do this?

Smoking some unknown tobacco is a great way to rate the tobacco and learn a little more about what you like and don't like. You get to cut through all the hype and focus just on the tobacco without knowing what brand it says on the label. These reviews are also just for fun, no one is critiquing what you write so just describe it the best you can.
You can see how last years went here. The Pipe Blind Taste Challenge


So who's in on the Pipe Blind Taste Test??


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## Hambone1 (May 31, 2011)

Sounds interesting. Sign me up.


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

1. Commander Quan
2. Hambone1


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## Xodar (Mar 4, 2011)

I really enjoyed last years challenge. I am definitely in again this year!


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## Michigan_Moose (Oct 11, 2011)

1. Commander Quan
2. Hambone1
3. Michigan_Moose
4. Xodar


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## Hannibal (Apr 22, 2011)

Sure, why not.....

1. Commander Quan
2. Hambone1
3. Michigan_Moose
4. Xodar 
5. Hannibal


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

Yeah, Baby!

1. Commander Quan
2. Hambone1
3. Michigan_Moose
4. Xodar 
5. Hannibal 
6. Contrabass Bry


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

I'm in, last year was really fun. Was wondering when the next blind taste testing would happen 
troy


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Sounds like a blast. I'm in!!

1. Commander Quan
2. Hambone1
3. Michigan_Moose
4. Xodar 
5. Hannibal 
6. Contrabass Bry
7. laloin
8. DanR


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## Machurtado (Nov 11, 2009)

Count me in as we'll sounds like fun!


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## houncer (Dec 15, 2011)

Count me in!


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

1. Commander Quan
2. Hambone1
3. Michigan_Moose
4. Xodar
5. Hannibal
6. Contrabass Bry
7. laloin
8. DanR 
9. Machurtado
10. houncer


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Commander Quan said:


> ...a well known blend or *a shop's custom blend, but try to find out if it really is "custom" or just a renamed bulk from a known blender*. People are also welcome to add any tag alongs to keep the samples company.


I'm definitely in! I wonder about the shop blends, though, and not sure what you're allowing/disallowing. A personal shop blend is impossible to identify unless it really is a repackaged bulk. That said, I think the emphasis is in identifying the components, with nailing the actual blend only a bonus, so I have no objection as long as the sender knows what's in the shop blend. :smile:

Anyhow, great you got this started again! :tu

1. Commander Quan
2. Hambone1
3. Michigan_Moose
4. Xodar
5. Hannibal
6. Contrabass Bry
7. laloin
8. DanR
9. Machurtado
10. houncer 
11. freestoke


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

The reason for allowing the the _custom_ blends to be sent for review is the same as the other well known blends, unbiased reviews. In the past 2 year there may have only been one person to correctly guess the actual blend they were sent. A lot of people have been close, but guessing correctly is only a minor part of the game. Some shops will even sell their blends over the phone if others are interested in trying them after learning about them here, so sure they will be hard to guess, but you might find something you like.


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## Xodar (Mar 4, 2011)

Is the intent to send tobacco in it's original form? Meaning, if something is a flake tobacco it should be sent as a flake and not rubbed out to make it harder to guess? I was lucky enough to be paired with the Commander last year and one of my samples was a flake, which helped narrow down my guesses (even though I was way off anyhow).


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Yes the tobacco should be kept as close to it's original forum as possible. The intent is not to make this as difficult as possible for you partner, but to give them the opportunity to challenge their palette about what it is they are, or think they are tasting.

There was a cigar blind taste test a couple years ago and someone was sent a well aged Opus X the person who smoked it swore up and down it was some cheap dog rocket. I was given a Cuban RASS to blind review, unfortunately that cigar was sicker than any cigar I've ever had, it tasted like butt, but if I had known what it was, it may have made me look for flavors that I didn't find, and may not have been there. My impressions were confirmed by someone else who was given a cigar from that same box.


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## leanpockets (Mar 29, 2012)

SIgn me up i have a need for new tastes 
1. Commander Quan
2. Hambone1
3. Michigan_Moose
4. Xodar
5. Hannibal
6. Contrabass Bry
7. laloin
8. DanR
9. Machurtado
10. houncer 
11. freestoke
12. Leanpockets


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Last year was just too much fun!

1. Commander Quan
2. Hambone1
3. Michigan_Moose
4. Xodar
5. Hannibal
6. Contrabass Bry
7. laloin
8. DanR
9. Machurtado
10. houncer
11. freestoke
12. Leanpockets 
13. MarkC


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

I've done these before. Always a blast.

1. Commander Quan
2. Hambone1
3. Michigan_Moose
4. Xodar
5. Hannibal
6. Contrabass Bry
7. laloin
8. DanR
9. Machurtado
10. houncer
11. freestoke
12. Leanpockets 
13. MarkC
14. TommyTree


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## quo155 (Aug 10, 2010)

I'm just popping in to say, what a great idea! I don't have the time to guarantee that I could be a "tester"...so I will watch this from the sidelines.

Great idea, enjoy everyone!!!


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

Sounds like fun and a great way to get exposure to new 'baccy. Count me in!

1. Commander Quan
2. Hambone1
3. Michigan_Moose
4. Xodar
5. Hannibal
6. Contrabass Bry
7. laloin
8. DanR
9. Machurtado
10. houncer
11. freestoke
12. Leanpockets 
13. MarkC
14. TommyTree
15. Desertlifter


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Bump. 

One week left to sign up .


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

we have a odd # of people signed up. sign up already for cripe sake
troy


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## RupturedDuck (Jan 11, 2012)

1. Commander Quan
2. Hambone1
3. Michigan_Moose
4. Xodar
5. Hannibal
6. Contrabass Bry
7. laloin
8. DanR
9. Machurtado
10. houncer
11. freestoke
12. Leanpockets 
13. MarkC
14. TommyTree
15. Desertlifter
16. RupturedDuck


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

laloin said:


> we have a odd # of people signed up. sign up already for cripe sake
> troy


I wouldn't go as far as odd, but yeah, we're a strange lot...


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Last call. Pairings will be done Monday. Signup or Shutup.


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## Hambone1 (May 31, 2011)

I think I'll place an order to get some tobacco in that in my cellar, thus my pairing won't be able to guess from my cellar. Another reason for TAD, you all are evil!


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Don't pair me up with Shawn; he's on to my tricks!


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Hambone1 said:


> I think I'll place an order to get some tobacco in that in my cellar, thus my pairing won't be able to guess from my cellar. Another reason for TAD, you all are evil!


Fortunately, I'm pretty lazy about my cellar entries. I still have some "Top Secret Tobacco". :spy: My fiendish plan will be to *send* something that isn't in the other end's cellar, rather than hide what mine might be, though.


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## Michigan_Moose (Oct 11, 2011)

I want Hannibal Jeff


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

I am chomping at the bit (metaphorically, I don't do that to my pipes) for this to get under way!

Last chance for sign-up! Do it before the weekend gets here, you'll forget and be SOL come Monday!


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

Contrabass Bry said:


> I am chomping at the bit (metaphorically, I don't do that to my pipes) for this to get under way!
> 
> Last chance for sign-up! Do it before the weekend gets here, you'll forget and be SOL come Monday!


someone get Contrabass a doggie bone, he's foaming at the mouth!!!


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

LAST, last call.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

sign me up


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

Let the games begin! WOOF!


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Alright gentlemen these are the pairings. Partners should exchange addresses and try to get the packages out, and post Delivery Confirmation info soon so we can keep track of who has sent their half out. If you do not have any trader feedback it's your responsibility to send you half out first. 

Reviews can be posted in this thread to keep everything in one place. Good Luck.

13. MarkC
11. freestoke

12. Leanpockets
10. houncer

8. DanR
15. Desertlifter

5. Hannibal
9. Machurtado

14. TommyTree
7. laloin

4. Xodar
16. RupturedDuck

3. Michigan_Moose
2. Hambone1

6. Contrabass Bry 
17. mikebjrtx
1. Commander Quan
(CB send to Mike. Mike Send to CQ. CQ send to CB)
Mike, I don't believe you have access to private messages yet. Are you the same mikebjrtx on ebay? If so I will send you a message on ebay with my address, and I can forward your address to Brian. Please check in here asap so we can get our 3 way trade going.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

I am mikebjrtx on ebay as well


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

message sent


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

pm sent


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## houncer (Dec 15, 2011)

PM sent to Leanpockets.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

do these need to be sent with a tracking service or is regular post ok?


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

mikebjrtx said:


> do these need to be sent with a tracking service or is regular post ok?


I did the last PBTT and have done a few trades without a DC, but I bought a few of these: http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/general-pipe-forum/304945-usps-pipe-bomb-facilitator.html. The DC comes free. If you print your own label and provide your own box, then it's even cheaper, as somebody on that thread pointed out. It's not necessary, just a convenience for the recipient, so they'll know to be home if necessary or whatever. Not a requirement, as far as I know.


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Please buy the DC. It's less then a buck and it just lets your partner know that you're portion is on the way.


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## Hambone1 (May 31, 2011)

What's the time frame? Reason I ask, I order new tobacco for this and it arrives Wednesday at my house but I'm in California right now and won't be back home until the 31st. I do have my cellar with me though but I wanted undisclosed items for the blind test so they won't be able to see it in my cellar. When should we have the tobacco to our partners? At the latest?


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Let your partner know and then send your half out asap. You also may want to let your partner know to hold off on sending out your package till sometime next week.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

On the way USPS DCN 0310 0480 0003 0457 5316

Hope you enjoy one of them. 
I have only smoked a pipe for a couple of months, so I haven't really decided what I like best yet.
I am enjoying some of the unique flavors and aromas.


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Sounds good Mike By the way, I still need your address so I can forward it to Bryan.


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## Machurtado (Nov 11, 2009)

I got a PM sent to Hannibal last night.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Okay, Mark, the tail number is: 9405 5112 0128 8825 2659 61 lane: The flight plan is filed for take-off tomorrow afternoon at 1500.

I'd like to add that I was just discovering tracking numbers about the time of the last PBTT. http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...3-pipe-blind-taste-test-ii-3.html#post3181556


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

TommyTree your end went out today USPS # 03113260000148019449 . I enclosed 3 samples marked A,B, and C
Troy


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Desertlifter and I have been in contact and exchanged pleasantries. His end will be packed up tonight. I keep changing my mind about what to send, but I think I've settled it now! I'll post the DCN when it goes.


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Desertlifter's DCN is 9405 5036 9930 0023 7929 81

Cheers!


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

I got my package from mikebjrtx today. Even though he's a new guy I think he'll fit in here just fine, because his math skills are on par with the rest of you guys. He blew me up with 8 blind samples and 3 blind cigars. 








Thanks Mike. I'm looking forward to sampling these over the next couple weeks.

Also I got your address off the return address on the box and forwarded it to Bryan.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Big of you to take on the extra "new" guy, Derrick. :spy:

In any case, an outstanding hit, Mike. :tu:


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

laloin said:


> TommyTree your end went out today USPS # 03113260000148019449 . I enclosed 3 samples marked A,B, and C
> Troy


My end wasn't quite as prompt, but 0311 1660 0002 0234 4083. I enclosed... well, let's just leave it at that. :biggrin:


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

TommyTree said:


> My end wasn't quite as prompt, but 0311 1660 0002 0234 4083. I enclosed... well, let's just leave it at that. :biggrin:


ut oh I smell bomb, since none of us know how to count LOL
troy


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## Hambone1 (May 31, 2011)

My end was sent out to Moose and I PM'ed the tracking number to him... booya!


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

laloin said:


> ut oh I smell bomb, since none of us know how to count LOL
> troy


And it's been a while since I sent out a bomb. My finger was a bit itchy.

I'll warn you guys here, first. Times are starting to look a little better, and I've got some hope for a real improvement in the very near future. If that happens, TommyTree will be bombing again!


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Jim's is now on the way. 0311 3260 0002 3208 7019


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

Dan's is on the way downrange as well.

Hope you have a little spare storage.... 

0312 0090 0001 8243 8498


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## Hambone1 (May 31, 2011)

Well.. um.. I just followed the initial directions and just sent out A and B.. no bombing... Sorry Moose!


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Hambone1 said:


> Well.. um.. I just followed the initial directions and just sent out A and B.. no bombing... Sorry Moose!


I sent the minimum with only one little kicker baggie for packing integrity too, Shawn.  Last time, I made an agreement with my lab partner not to do any bombing, but I forgot this time.


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

Hambone1 said:


> Well.. um.. I just followed the initial directions and just sent out A and B.. no bombing... Sorry Moose!


Remember that bombing is altruistic - nothing is expected in return. As much tobacco flies around the snail-mail system thanks to this group, everything stays in balance.

Except for Shuckins of course, but that is another matter.


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

mikebjrtx's end went out today: DC# 0311 2550 0000 3690 9558

Enjoy!


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

TommyTree box arrived today. He can't count like the rest of us nutjobs  He inclosed 5 generous sampled marked A-E. Now the cake here is he also bombed me with 3 tag alongs. yep 3 sticks a oba oba, Nica Libie 1990, and a Jose L piedra. Might the Jose L Piedra be a CC tree???
BTW when can we start to smoke and take a educated guess on what we're smoking???
troy


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Hambone1 said:


> Well.. um.. I just followed the initial directions and just sent out A and B.. no bombing... Sorry Moose!


Don't feel alone. I generally don't mix bombing with other activities on here. (NPS thread doesn't count; those people are just _asking_ for it...)


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> Don't feel alone. I generally don't mix bombing with other activities on here.


:beerchug: You may open your blue book, Mark. I see your test set has arrived. :smile:


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

laloin said:


> TommyTree box arrived today. He can't count like the rest of us nutjobs  He inclosed 5 generous sampled marked A-E. Now the cake here is he also bombed me with 3 tag alongs. yep 3 sticks a oba oba, Nica Libie 1990, and a Jose L piedra. Might the Jose L Piedra be a CC tree???
> BTW when can we start to smoke and take a educated guess on what we're smoking???
> troy


That JLP just might be a CC. The five samples were there because I wanted you to have to work for the cigars. Or were the cigars to make up for me putting five samples in there? Who cares. Enjoy.

Troy's end came today as well. As he already warned us, he can't count either. A, B, and C sitting there for me to figure out. I'm definitely looking forward to this, and I have plenty of time to test this stuff out this weekend.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

freestoke said:


> :beerchug: You may open your blue book, Mark. I see your test set has arrived. :smile:


Yup. Just opened the box. I was going to start with sample "A", but they're labeled with numbers, so I'm kind of stuck right now. Oh well, everyone knows I only smoke Virginias, so I'll start with number 2. (That won't make sense to anyone else, will it? )


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

No comment after just the first bowl other than I sure hope this is some cheap bulk tobacco I can stock up on fast!


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

ok smoking Sample A from TommyTree. a nice broken flake, interweaved with darker shades of Virginia and a lighter shade of tobacco.
When I opened the bag I got a strong vinagar/malt smell. At first I thought it might be a GLP blend. I rubbed out the flake, and I'm taking a deeper smell, vinagar and katsup smell. Only one blender I know that has that familar katsup smell. This is a Mccllends blend.
I smoked this blend out of my GBD Canadian, the one I use for Virginias and Va/per. Put fire to tobacco, get hit with yummy sweet Virginia, sweet citrus notes, yep a Virginia blend, as I progress halfway into the bowl the citrus notes fade, to be replaced with a nutmeg sweetness. the citrus notes are are still there, but more playing in the background, then up front. I think this might be orinital leaf. the lighter shades I saw.
This is a shot in the dark but I think this is Mccllend's mature Virginia #24


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

So when do we tell the person what their tobacco was?


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

reading last years thread, you would post what your throughts were with the samples one by one. Your partner would then tell you wether if you were right, wrong. or complety off the wrong track 
give last year thread a read Tommy, and you'll get a idea 
troy


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

laloin said:


> This is a shot in the dark but I think this is Mccllend's mature Virginia #24


Ok, read the original thread briefly, and I think I've got the hang of it. You, sir, were going in the right direction. Sample A was a McClelland, but it was *McClelland 2015* from a jar that was sealed in Feb. 2010.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

TommyTree said:


> Ok, read the original thread briefly, and I think I've got the hang of it. You, sir, were going in the right direction. Sample A was a McClelland, but it was *McClelland 2015* from a jar that was sealed in Feb. 2010.


I give him a 4 out of 5 stars. :tu


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

TommyTree said:


> Ok, read the original thread briefly, and I think I've got the hang of it. You, sir, were going in the right direction. Sample A was a McClelland, but it was *McClelland 2015* from a jar that was sealed in Feb. 2010.


OMG no wonder it smelled soo heavenly. well I was wrong bout their being orintal in this blend. lol and it's a va/per I didn't even taste or detect any perique. no sour/malty taste. Just smooth Virginia. now I can enjoy va/per without sneezing. heh and it had 2 years of age on. wow age tones done perique a ton. mmmmmmm gonna sock the rest of this in a jar soo it doesn't dry out. I'm sold on this blend I want more.
thanks tommy


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

*Sample No. 2 from Freestroke*

A very luxurious Oriental blend, just full of assorted spices and such. "Tin" aroma reminds me very much of Presbyterian Mixture. If there's any latakia here, it was added with a very light hand. If there's any perique at all, I have to ask why as it was such a small amount it was pointless. Total domination by the Orientals and the Virginia.

In the bowl, it has the characteristics of the quality Oriental mixtures, like McConnell's Oriental, the previously mentioned PM and the Rattray's Oriental blends. Totally hypnotic; makes me think I'm in a tent somewhere watching a belly dancer! An absolute delight if you're a fan of this style.

As for what it is, I have no idea; as I said previously, I hope it's an inexpensive bulk I can stock on quick, as this is a must have. With my luck, it's $20 a tin in a small shop outside London...
I realize we're expected to embarrass ourselves with a jab at what the blend actually is, so I'll flip a coin and go with....Early Morning Pipe.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> *Sample No. 2 from Freestroke*
> 
> A very luxurious Oriental blend, just full of assorted spices and such...
> 
> ...


I was thinking the Syrian Latakia, not much met with these days, might throw you a curve, Mike. Definitely different from the Cyprian, more in the direction of the "other" orientals. No perique! Pretty close, Mike! :tu It's Mac Baren, HH Vintage Syrian. Tobakrevs offers up:

*The base of the blend, a little under half of the volume, is a smooth and yet powerful Latakia from Syria. This tobacco gives the blend the overall smoky taste, a powerful taste and yet without any tongue bite. To add a spicy note to the blend, Turkish Oriental has been added. A mix of different Virginia tobaccos from 3 continents adds a sweet natural taste. To complete the taste with depth and body, we added a little Dark Fired Kentucky from the US. The HH-Vintage Syrian Latakia is a loose cut tobacco, which guarantees a smooth and steady burn. It does not get hot which means you will find extremely little bite on your tongue. When you empty your pipe after smoking, you will find only fine grey ashes, the sign of a slow and dry smoke.
*


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## Andrewdk (Feb 3, 2011)

freestoke said:


> I was thinking the Syrian Latakia, not much met with these days, might throw you a curve, Mike. Definitely different from the Cyprian, more in the direction of the "other" orientals. No perique! Pretty close, Mike! :tu It's Mac Baren, HH Vintage Syrian. Tobakrevs offers up:
> 
> *The base of the blend, a little under half of the volume, is a smooth and yet powerful Latakia from Syria. This tobacco gives the blend the overall smoky taste, a powerful taste and yet without any tongue bite. To add a spicy note to the blend, Turkish Oriental has been added. A mix of different Virginia tobaccos from 3 continents adds a sweet natural taste. To complete the taste with depth and body, we added a little Dark Fired Kentucky from the US. The HH-Vintage Syrian Latakia is a loose cut tobacco, which guarantees a smooth and steady burn. It does not get hot which means you will find extremely little bite on your tongue. When you empty your pipe after smoking, you will find only fine grey ashes, the sign of a slow and dry smoke.
> *


Damn how did I miss out on this (assuming a non US could participate)! Must watch out next year.
Good hit with that HH Vintage Syrian it's a cracker smoke that doesn't seem to get much attention. One of the first latakia blends I tried courtesy of the noobie pipe trade that now seems so long ago (actually only about 12 monthsish), syrian latakia is pure heaven.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

This was a Mac Baren??? I'm stunned. This is what I like about this test; I've turned my nose up at this stuff before. Even had a tin once and passed it on. Guess it's time to eat crow and order some...


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> This was a Mac Baren??? I'm stunned. This is what I like about this test; I've turned my nose up at this stuff before. Even had a tin once and passed it on. Guess it's time to eat crow and order some...


It's a cut above the run-of-the-mill Mac Baren, I think. Mac Baren smokes generally are a bit lightweight in the Vit N department for me, but some are fairly decent. Their HH Mature Virginia isn't too bad, either, but I'd rather have 5100 Red Cake I think. I bought the Syrian to see if I could jog my memory about how Nightcap might have changed since it went Cyprian. Glad you liked it, Mike. Me too! :smile:


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

MarkC said:


> This was a Mac Baren??? I'm stunned. This is what I like about this test; I've turned my nose up at this stuff before. Even had a tin once and passed it on. Guess it's time to eat crow and order some...


I think this is what the whole spirit of this trade is about, isn't it? I think it's just terrific that Jim hit you with a blend that you really like and hadn't really considered before. Additionally, it's not a hard to find tobacco and is pretty inexpensive too!


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

DanR said:


> I think this is what the whole spirit of this trade is about, isn't it? I think it's just terrific that Jim hit you with a blend that you really like and hadn't really considered before. Additionally, it's not a hard to find tobacco and is pretty inexpensive too!


shhhhhhh keep it down Dan, Mark gonna grab all the Frog Morton across the pond for himself.....it has syria Lat


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

guess Mark took a leap of faith with Latakia blends, by way of a shove by Jim


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

DanR said:


> I think it's just terrific that Jim hit you with a blend that you really like and hadn't really considered before.


It's even better than that; I _had_ considered it before, but I rejected it because "I knew I wouldn't like it"!


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

It's awesome that you found something you liked. I bet it's going to be more than just you ordering a can of it now.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Mark's candidates for trial by fire have arrived! :banana: I'll be donning my Inquisition Cloak later tonight.


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

HH Vintage Syrian is cheap Mark, you can buy it by the pound Bag. Just leave some for the rest of us


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

Ok, onto Sample B from TommyTree. Just looking at the bag I can see it's a curly cut. Little dime size coins, with some serious age on them. Can see the sugar crystals on the coins if ya look at them with the right light.
I can smell some mustiness from the bag, that's bout all. I haven't had a chance to smoke this blend yet. Soo don't tell me yet Tommy
troy


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

My samples arrived today. I knew I was in for a real treat when the first baggie I pulled from the shipping envelope was labeled "G"...

It seems from playing around with the samples that I have a few aros, a few Virginia blends, a few English/Latakia blends, and a nice flake. The smell from the baggies is nirvana. I'm starting with sample G because, well, it just smells heavenly. Lightly aromatic and sweet, but natural tasting tobacco is the base. I'm not ready to guess yet, but I am enjoying the tobacco immensely!


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

Have you gone to the circus and seen the little car that clowns just keep crawling out of? 
That is what my package from Bryan was like. Nine samples to try out, I will be busy for quite some time.
I will try one tonight and get back as soon as I do.
Thank you so much Bryan


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Don't forget to leave trader feedback for your partner once you receive your samples.


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

ok am smoking my way through Sample B from TommyTree. it's a virginia with some burley based cavendiish. that famous Danish Cavendish at first I was sure if it was Mac Baren, or Hemmih, since this is a curly cut. But having smoked through I can say it's Mac Baren. 
maybe I'm wrong but is this Dark twist Tommy?
I do know this has been aged for a long time. saw the sugar crystal on the flakes. yummy virginia hayish/grassish notes. mixed in with cavendish. giving a butter smoke. Burn hot if I over puff.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

I tried sample A tonight, and it was a very enjoyable smoke.
It has a cool creamy mouth feel and a nice sweet almost caramelized smoky flavor.
There was a great spicy floral aroma from the rising smoke that only got soapy if I actually sniffed it.
The only thing I have smoked even close to this is Larry’s Blend.
I bought several tins of Larry’s Blend because I like it, but this is better.
It is a creamier, sweeter smoke with a better floral finish, and I have no idea what it is.


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

Received my package from DanR tonight, along with the latest in the books/tobacco MAW. Two-fer yes!

Anyhoo, Dan put the beat-down on me too, although he was a bit kinder than I was to him....










*5 Brothers* (my first ever pouch of tobacco!)
*University Flake* - one of my favorite ever tobaccos - I love this stuff. And a whole tin? Seriously?
*H&H Royal Blunder Kake* - can't WAIT to try this stuff
*Erinmore Flake* - another tobacco that I've been wanting to try
*Darkest Caramel* - google-fu says that this is a McClelland blend, but tobaccoreviews doesn't mention it, at least with that name. Whatever - it smells glorious.
A - sweetness and latakia in a nicely pressed flake. Yum.
B - a Virginia with either burley, a bit of cavendish, or both.

Both of these will challenge this pipe noob, needless to say.

And the bit about Dan being nicer than me? I was a lazy BOTL and just labeled his packages A-G instead of being nice and telling him what he got outside of his A and B samples.

I just wanted to see how the pros do this.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

An update to sample A is my wife told me I was stinky as soon as I came inside, and it has a pleasant long lasting leathery or earthy aftertaste.


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

laloin said:


> ok am smoking my way through Sample B from TommyTree. it's a virginia with some burley based cavendiish. that famous Danish Cavendish at first I was sure if it was Mac Baren, or Hemmih, since this is a curly cut. But having smoked through I can say it's Mac Baren.
> maybe I'm wrong but is this Dark twist Tommy?
> I do know this has been aged for a long time. saw the sugar crystal on the flakes. yummy virginia hayish/grassish notes. mixed in with cavendish. giving a butter smoke. Burn hot if I over puff.


Way off, my friend. That is some Bell's Three Nuns from I don't know when. Hope you loved it and now must have it and become compelled to track it down, even to the ends of the earth, just like everyone else I've sent some to. Mwuhahahahahaha.

(Sorry I haven't posted on yours yet. I had some work opportunities come up, and I couldn't pass them up, but they also haven't afforded me any time to sit down and focus on the pipe.)


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

wait the same 3 nuns that DublintheDane raves up and down about. OMG was I off completely. I swore it was Mac Baren's dark twist. But I couldn't explain the pepper notes that I was getting. 
wow I have to smoke it again. I know it's a Va/per. how you got it tommy I don't know. I'll smoke it again for sure. OMG OMG
troy


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

I wonder how 3 Nuns compares to Villager 1888 "cocktail hour" caz the rep from PS was telling me they went to Bell's and asked them if they could ship the tobacco in their tins to here. Now I have to compare the 2 grrrrrrrrr. Your Evil TommyTree 
troy


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Ok, tonight I am smoking sample "D" from Desertlifter. It is a nice evening, and I'm just home from watching the Spurs spank the Thunder (Go Spurs Go!), and I was craving something with Latakia for a quick nightcap. This ribbon cut tobacco with both dark and light colored strands seemed to have the right aroma in the bag to satisfy me. It certainly does. It has a nice touch of Latakia to just complement the Virginias that come through. There's also a light touch of Oriental too. Just like adding a little "cracked pepper" to your favorite dish, the orientals add a background spice to make things right in this blend. 

It's been awhile since I've smoked it, but I think sample "D" could be... Squadron Leader?


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

DanR said:


> Ok, tonight I am smoking sample "D" from Desertlifter. It is a nice evening, and I'm just home from watching the Spurs spank the Thunder (Go Spurs Go!), and I was craving something with Latakia for a quick nightcap. This ribbon cut tobacco with both dark and light colored strands seemed to have the right aroma in the bag to satisfy me. It certainly does. It has a nice touch of Latakia to just complement the Virginias that come through. There's also a light touch of Oriental too. Just like adding a little "cracked pepper" to your favorite dish, the orientals add a background spice to make things right in this blend.
> 
> It's been awhile since I've smoked it, but I think sample "D" could be... Squadron Leader?


Random acts of.....tobacco alignment!

I was hoping that you would pick this one early, because it was and is a favorite of mine since my noob days like....months ago. In fact, I keep it in stock for a fairly regular smoke.

You see, at $2.15 an ounce in bulk at my B&M.......

Peter Stokkebye's English Luxury is a nice smoke. Take that Samuel Gawith!


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Desertlifter said:


> Random acts of.....tobacco alignment!
> 
> I was hoping that you would pick this one early, because it was and is a favorite of mine since my noob days like....months ago. In fact, I keep it in stock for a fairly regular smoke.
> 
> ...


Wow, I'm certainly blown away. I've never had PS English Luxury (until now), but I've seen it mentioned favorably on here several times. Now I know why. Great smoke!


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Desertlifter said:


> Peter Stokkebye's English Luxury is a nice smoke. Take that Samuel Gawith!


Yes it is! I have no idea where I got mine from, but I have an open jar on my desk. A bowl once in a while is very nice indeed. :smile:

I am SO glad Dan was wrong. :banana: I have no idea what MarkC's "A" is, so expect to join Dan shortly in ignominy. Actually, SL isn't so far off, maybe even a solid 80% correct, Dan. :tu

I don't expect to do as well, truth be known.  sigh. Baffling. Smoked two bowls last night, one in the small Dana Bari and one in the big Savinelli. It looks like 3 or 4 different tobaccos, one of them in small, light yellow pieces, a few of them actually still rolled up around what appear to be top-of-the-plant where new leaves start to push out. I've never had drama leaf, so maybe that's drama leaf. A few shreds of dark brown/black might be Latakia, but I don't think so, and certainly not Cavendish, so maybe a stoved Va? I think I could detect a little of that McClelland smell, but I'm not sure. I'm bagging the drama leaf; have no idea what drama leaf is, but I doubt if this is it. I'll guess that this is a mixed bag of Virginias, say Virginia Woods.


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

I'm on to Sample "F" from desertlifter. I'm trying to tackle the ones that I think are easier to guess because of their familiarity. For instance, this is a nice flake with a natural and sweet (but not aromatic) aroma. I thought I would be able to guess this one once the match was put to pipe, but it's proving to be more difficult than I imagined. I'm gonna hold my guess until I finish a few more bowls (my samples are huge) - maybe I'll venture a guess later tonight.

This is definately a fun challenge, and I'm blown away by how much "knowing the blend" affects your taste/perception of the tobacco.


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

laloin said:


> I wonder how 3 Nuns compares to Villager 1888 "cocktail hour" caz the rep from PS was telling me they went to Bell's and asked them if they could ship the tobacco in their tins to here. Now I have to compare the 2 grrrrrrrrr. Your Evil TommyTree
> troy


I actually hear (from people I really trust to know these things) that the old Three Nuns compares most closely to Heinrich's Curly.


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

Finally smoking laloin's first sample. This is from bag "A", and it's definitely a burley. Glad I loaded it into one of my many Missouri Meerschaum cobs. I'm getting maybe very little Virginia, possibly perique. The cut is what's throwing me off. It's a broken flake, or else I'd be thinking Haunted Bookshop. I'm going to go with Aged Burley Flake and just assume that the flakes got banged up a little en route. Good tobacco, though. Nice and strong. Good nicotine hit. Lots of burley flavor. I'd guess average room note, but I'm the only one her to smell it. Ok, Troy, did I get close?


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

TommyTree said:


> Finally smoking laloin's first sample. This is from bag "A", and it's definitely a burley. Glad I loaded it into one of my many Missouri Meerschaum cobs. I'm getting maybe very little Virginia, possibly perique. The cut is what's throwing me off. It's a broken flake, or else I'd be thinking Haunted Bookshop. I'm going to go with Aged Burley Flake and just assume that the flakes got banged up a little en route. Good tobacco, though. Nice and strong. Good nicotine hit. Lots of burley flavor. I'd guess average room note, but I'm the only one her to smell it. Ok, Troy, did I get close?


not even close, it's not ABF, or Haunted Bookshop. it's Mac Baren Mixture flake. the reason why it came as a broken flake is that it's topped with honey. soo I had a bit of trouble peeling off flakes. I figured you might have guessed Navy flake, since the 2 smell exactly the same. yep the burley is probley from the burley based Canvdish they use. But according to the tin it's made up of 35 different types of tobacco. glad you liked it 
it's not one that gets alot of press 
troy


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

freestoke said:


> Yes it is! I have no idea where I got mine from, but I have an open jar on my desk. A bowl once in a while is very nice indeed. :smile:
> 
> I am SO glad Dan was wrong. :banana: I have no idea what MarkC's "A" is, so expect to join Dan shortly in ignominy. Actually, SL isn't so far off, maybe even a solid 80% correct, Dan. :tu
> 
> I don't expect to do as well, truth be known.  sigh. Baffling. Smoked two bowls last night, one in the small Dana Bari and one in the big Savinelli. It looks like 3 or 4 different tobaccos, one of them in small, light yellow pieces, a few of them actually still rolled up around what appear to be top-of-the-plant where new leaves start to push out. I've never had drama leaf, so maybe that's drama leaf. A few shreds of dark brown/black might be Latakia, but I don't think so, and certainly not Cavendish, so maybe a stoved Va? I think I could detect a little of that McClelland smell, but I'm not sure. I'm bagging the drama leaf; have no idea what drama leaf is, but I doubt if this is it. I'll guess that this is a mixed bag of Virginias, say Virginia Woods.


Ah, I feel better about authoritatively saying that what turned out to be HH Vintage Syrian contained no latakia now... 

Sample A is GL Pease Telegraph Hill, a "sturdy foundation of Viginia Tobaccos, each chosen for it's particular character, is enhanced with fine flakes of perique for a refined smoking experience", according to the tin.


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

DanR said:


> I'm on to Sample "F" from desertlifter. I'm trying to tackle the ones that I think are easier to guess because of their familiarity. For instance, this is a nice flake with a natural and sweet (but not aromatic) aroma. I thought I would be able to guess this one once the match was put to pipe, but it's proving to be more difficult than I imagined. I'm gonna hold my guess until I finish a few more bowls (my samples are huge) - maybe I'll venture a guess later tonight.


OK, more Sample "F" tonight, which is the flake tobacco in the bunch. I'm getting a pretty strong pepperiness and the vitamin "n" is real nice (great for the end of a busy day). I don't detect any topping whatsoever, and there's not much sweetness to it once I started smoking it. I'm going to guess Peterson Irish Flake...


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Next year I need to remember to set this up later in the year. For the last 2 years I've had my allergies act up right when this gets underway. BAH.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

*Sample No. 3 from Freestroke*

I get the idea with this one that the blender was smoking Carter Hall one day and thought "I can do better than this". Seriously, it hits me as an upscale Carter Hall. It has a very fine cut (reminds me of Dark Birdseye) which I find very difficult to load (leading me to believe that the blender didn't see all the positives Carter Hall had to offer ), but once lit, it has a very mild tobacco taste, with some unidentifiable flavor added with an extremely light touch. Very smooth. What's that advertising line? Not a bite in a bowl or something like that? This qualifies. Perhaps not as smooth as Butternut Burley (I can smoke that stuff even with a fried tongue!), but very well behaved. The tin aroma seems to be pure Virginia, but if it's not a Burley/Virginia mix, I'll be very surprised. Top quality tobacco with an intriguing flavor. In all honesty, for me, it's not something I would seek out, but it is a blend I'd recommend trying to see if it's for you.

As for what it is, after the last one, I'm tempted to say Penzance, just to thoroughly undermine whatever reputation I have left, but I'm pretty sure I can screw it up without trying.  However, much as I'd like to take a guess to further my embarrassment, I have no idea what this is, and have no clue as to where to start.


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Sample "C" from Desertlifter

This tobacco has a natural sweet and earthy smell from the bag. I believe it to be a VaPer, and a strong one at that - nice "n" level. The strands of tobacco in the flake have three distinct colors; golden, medium brown, and hints of black. I get pepper and figgy flavors from the smoke, although the pepper is much stronger. It's a broken flake, which has me a bit confused because otherwise I might have guessed Escudo. This is similar to a tobacco sample I got not long ago from Freestoke, so I'm gonna go with a wild guess and say this is C&D Bayou Morning Flake?


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

On sample D I will guess Dark Star. I tried Dark star about a month ago and the sample has some good age or I’m wrong. My new tin had a vinegary barbeque sauce smell where this one had an apple cider vinegary smell after being rubbed. This one burned cooler and was easier to light without biting me. They both were sweet with a ripe bordering on overripe fruity flavor. Not a specific fruit, but more the overripe about to ferment flavor sweet fruits get before they go bad. Very tasty.


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

DanR said:


> I'm on to Sample "F" from desertlifter. I'm trying to tackle the ones that I think are easier to guess because of their familiarity.... I'm gonna hold my guess until I finish a few more bowls (my samples are huge) - maybe I'll venture a guess later tonight.
> 
> This is definately a fun challenge, and I'm blown away by how much "knowing the blend" affects your taste/perception of the tobacco.


This is good to hear - I was actually concerned that the samples I sent you weren't large enough.


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

DanR said:


> OK, more Sample "F" tonight, which is the flake tobacco in the bunch. I'm getting a pretty strong pepperiness and the vitamin "n" is real nice (great for the end of a busy day). I don't detect any topping whatsoever, and there's not much sweetness to it once I started smoking it. I'm going to guess Peterson Irish Flake...


Close - it's Uni Flake! Very close as far as I'm concerned. Good job!

Man - I see myself writing up something like "this English blend is dripping with Syrian Latakia and a nice yenidje kick" and you replying with...."it's half and half."


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

DanR said:


> Sample "C" from Desertlifter
> 
> This tobacco has a natural sweet and earthy smell from the bag. I believe it to be a VaPer, and a strong one at that - nice "n" level. The strands of tobacco in the flake have three distinct colors; golden, medium brown, and hints of black. I get pepper and figgy flavors from the smoke, although the pepper is much stronger. It's a broken flake, which has me a bit confused because otherwise I might have guessed Escudo. This is similar to a tobacco sample I got not long ago from Freestoke, so I'm gonna go with a wild guess and say this is C&D Bayou Morning Flake?


Damn you're too good at this stuff. VaPer it is. With a bit of Kentucky in the mix.

From Scotland - haven't decided what I think of this blend myself.

Oh yeah - Rattray's Old Gowrie!


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Desertlifter said:


> Close - it's Uni Flake! Very close as far as I'm concerned. Good job!
> 
> Man - I see myself writing up something like "this English blend is dripping with Syrian Latakia and a nice yenidje kick" and you replying with...."it's half and half."


I almost said Uni Flake, except that I usually detect a little bit of a berry flavor in the background that I didn't get with this sample. Oh well, I suspect the base tobaccos of the two are similar...


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Desertlifter said:


> Damn you're too good at this stuff. VaPer it is. With a bit of Kentucky in the mix.
> 
> From Scotland - haven't decided what I think of this blend myself.
> 
> Oh yeah - Rattray's Old Gowrie!


That's a big miss in my book, only because I've been smoking a lot of Old Gowrie lately. I can't believe it was right in front of my face and I missed it. Good grief! :lol:

Ok, so here's my tally so far:

I guessed Squadron Leader - it was PS English Luxury
I guessed Peterson Irish Flake - it was Uni Flake
I guessed C&D Bayou Morning Flake - it was Old Gowrie

Four more to go. I hope I get at least one right.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> Ah, I feel better about authoritatively saying that what turned out to be HH Vintage Syrian contained no latakia now...
> 
> Sample A is GL Pease Telegraph Hill, a "sturdy foundation of Viginia Tobaccos, each chosen for it's particular character, is enhanced with fine flakes of perique for a refined smoking experience", according to the tin.


Perique!? There's perique in there? Who knew!? 

I'm actually a little surprised about the perique, since I don't detect any snorkiness at all. Tried it in three different pipes, too. Not a bad smoke, but I like a little more punch, being a hardcore nicotinero. I love having another GL Pease in the collection, though! :smile:

On to baggie B. This one shows a lot of promise, with a strongish bagnote. I'll be working on it as the day progresses. :spy:


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> ...The tin aroma seems to be pure Virginia, but* if it's not a Burley/Virginia mix, I'll be very surprised*. Top quality tobacco with an intriguing flavor. In all honesty, for me, it's not something I would seek out, but it is a blend I'd recommend trying to see if it's for you.
> 
> As for what it is, after the last one, I'm tempted to say Penzance, just to thoroughly undermine whatever reputation I have left, but I'm pretty sure I can screw it up without trying.  However, much as I'd like to take a guess to further my embarrassment, I have no idea what this is, and have no clue as to where to start.


Close enough! :tu Pinning down the exact blend if you've never had it is pretty unlikely, so the passing reference to Penzance, ie, Esoterica, gets you a bonus anyway -- it's Tilbury! I rather like Tilbury. Not a powerhouse, but it definitely has a little kick to it.

*A harmonious blend of Golden and dark Virginias with small portions of Burley and air-cured leaf. Matured by a special process over 100 years old, producing a unique natural aroma and piquant flavor. This is a potent tobacco, causes dizziness!*


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

The #2 looks a lot like 5100, but the tiniest bit darker. It seems a trifle snorkier, too, but if it's a touch of perique adding the few darker strands, then I'm going to have to send my perique sensor in for regrooving.  Maybe I'm looking at an age difference or natural variability in Red Cake, but it might be Matured Virginia #24 and that's what I'm going with, #24. I like this one a lot, whatever it is! :smile:

These PBTTs are so humiliating. I wonder if the percentage of golfers, ie, people with deeply masochistic tendencies, is higher on this thread than the forum as a whole. :lol:


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Okay, so if I told you it _wasn't_ a McClellands blend, what would you go with? (This is why I had to laugh to myself when I read a comment in the thread about the McClelland aroma; I knew this one was coming! )

It's actually McCranie's Red Ribbon, tin date 2008. This seemed like a good time to finally pop the lid and try this one, and I've got to admit, I'm sold.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

The Tillbury surprised me, although I guess I didn't embarrass myself badly like the first one. It's a good thing I didn't know it was so strong; I smoked three bowls back to back!

I


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> Okay, so if I told you it _wasn't_ a McClellands blend, what would you go with? (This is why I had to laugh to myself when I read a comment in the thread about the McClelland aroma; I knew this one was coming! )
> 
> It's actually McCranie's Red Ribbon, tin date 2008. This seemed like a good time to finally pop the lid and try this one, and I've got to admit, I'm sold.


Hey, I wasn't that far off! :mrgreen: Very nice tobacco, Mark!

As for the Tilbury, like I said it's no nicotine powerhouse the way they imply, but satisfying nonetheless. For the monthly review, we have JKP. Three bowls of that and you'd know it, I think! Then again, your Nicotine Threshold may be getting stronger.


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## Xodar (Mar 4, 2011)

OK, having a heck of a couple weeks, not bad just busy. I got Ruptired Duck's package several days ago, two samples marked A and B and a sampling of the mysterious "Foggy Boggy". I did get his out yesterday, although I could not make the postage machine at work do anything with a DC, just went first class and crossed my fingers. He's only a couple states over so hopefully he'll see it very shortly. My apologies to Gabriel for lagging behind.

I did get to enjoy sample A this morning and took time to make some notes as I smoked it.

Appearance: A fairly fine ribbon, definitely on the dry side, kind of like a lot of the H&H baccys come. A Mix of light and dark brown leaves with black latakia. Smells almost sweet in the bag, and the Lat isn't overpowering. Maybe a hint of oriental spice there.

Lighting: As it's dry it lights pretty easily and seems to burn well. The Latakia is a lot more present once it's on fire. I seem to taste that sweet spicy oriental flavor I associate with EMP and the like. Oddly, this blend reminds me a little of Penzance, but that may be because I haven't smoked any in  a while. Very tasty.

2nd half: It continues to smoke cool down to the bottom of the bowl, the flavor profile deepended a little but still clearly tastes like a lat/oriental/VA blend to me. Almost a creamy aftertaste, I really like this blend. I haven't had many englishes in my rotation lately and this is reminding me what I enjoy about them. It burned all the way to the bottom with the only relight due to me getting distracted.

Guess: I don't believe this is a tobacco I have had before. The visual and moisture level seem to be H & H like to me, so I am going to take a stab and guess P & C's Ambassador.


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## RupturedDuck (Jan 11, 2012)

Xodar said:


> OK, having a heck of a couple weeks, not bad just busy. I got Ruptired Duck's package several days ago, two samples marked A and B and a sampling of the mysterious "Foggy Boggy". I did get his out yesterday, although I could not make the postage machine at work do anything with a DC, just went first class and crossed my fingers. He's only a couple states over so hopefully he'll see it very shortly. My apologies to Gabriel for lagging behind.
> 
> I did get to enjoy sample A this morning and took time to make some notes as I smoked it.
> 
> ...


Wow John! Nice job! I was sure when you said H&H, and then named the Latakia and Oriental you were going to get it. But then I realized I was confused.

The blend is MacBaren's HH Vintage Syrian, which showed up in this thread earlier. It is probably the blend that I smoke the most of after Foggy Boggy, although I never seem to mention it on this Forum. Funny that...there seems to be quite a few of us who have MacBaren in our cellars, judging by this thread, but you still rarely see it mentioned here. If you wear a moustache, a full bowl of HH Vintage Syrian will have you smelling campfire through the rest of the day.

No worries on the lagging behind. I spent the last week moving myself a couple of miles over to the new place, and just now am set up where I can puff regularly again. Looking forward to receiving your package!

RD


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

ok onto Sample C from TommyTree nice ribbon cut, with darker shades of tobacco and lighter shades. No scent what soo ever. other then a very faint odor of katsup. 
there some virginia in this blend, getting those familar hayish notes, but no sweetness what soo ever. Probley some Perique as well. 
maybe some burley, since I taste a bit of nutiness as well.
I have no idea what this blend is tommy, ya wanna fill me in. before I go stir crazy


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

Okay here goes:

I tried my B sample today. Ribbon cut and pretty evenly blended with medium and dark brown/almost black bits of tobacco. Not a whisper of smoke in this to be had, and I'm guessing a VA/Burley with....maybe some Cavendish? It has a very sweet smell, but I can't tell if it has any dressing with my allergy-addled schnoz.

Lit this up after packing my pipe, and was immediately struck with sweet VA and a slight nuttiness, which fits my guess of a VA/burley. As I progressed through the bowl I got a bit of maple that got significantly stronger toward the latter half of the smoke. It also got a bit warm at the end of the bowl, but I don't think (nerve damage thanks to Uncle Sam makes it hard to say for sure) overly so.

I'm going to go out on a limb and take a WAG that the dark bits aren't cavendish, and this is some kind of sugar barrel or milder maple aro?

Whatever it is, it is delicious and mild.


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## RupturedDuck (Jan 11, 2012)

Desertlifter said:


> Not a whisper of smoke in this to be had


That tobacco sounds defective!

RD


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Sample "B" from Desertlifter

Ok, this is one of the situations where I see and smell the tobacco in the baggie and think immediately, "I know what this is...". And now that I have that one tobacco in my head, I cant even think of any others, even though chances are I'm probably wrong. Unfortunately I dont have any of this open at the moment, so I can't compare it to a known tin. Luckily, smoking it seems more to validate my belief rather than change it. This one's a nice broken flake ala GL Pease style - nice and dry like he usually does it too. It's got a strong Virginia base with a big dollop of Latakia. I am certain it has orientals too. I think this one is GL Pease Westminster?


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Desertlifter said:


> Okay here goes:
> 
> I tried my B sample today. Ribbon cut and pretty evenly blended with medium and dark brown/almost black bits of tobacco. Not a whisper of smoke in this to be had, and I'm guessing a VA/Burley with....maybe some Cavendish? It has a very sweet smell, but I can't tell if it has any dressing with my allergy-addled schnoz.
> 
> ...


That's a very good assessment of the tobacco, especially when you said "mild maple aro". It's a blend that is recommended repeatedly when someone on the board says, "I'd like to try a good aromatic". It's also good for noobies to because it doesn't bite at all. I almost always have some in a jar ready to go, and it's also already been mentioned on this thread by one of our long time members and most knowledgeable smokers, but not as a guess.

The tobacco you smoked is....

Butternut Burley!


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

well after smoked the bowl of Sample C from TommyTree I only know it's a Virginia/perique/burley. smoked to the bottom of the bowl, nothing left but a fine grey ash. I still can't take a stab at what it is.
I give up tommy


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

DanR said:


> Sample "B" from Desertlifter
> 
> Ok, this is one of the situations where I see and smell the tobacco in the baggie and think immediately, "I know what this is...". And now that I have that one tobacco in my head, I cant even think of any others, even though chances are I'm probably wrong. Unfortunately I dont have any of this open at the moment, so I can't compare it to a known tin. Luckily, smoking it seems more to validate my belief rather than change it. This one's a nice broken flake ala GL Pease style - nice and dry like he usually does it too. It's got a strong Virginia base with a big dollop of Latakia. I am certain it has orientals too. I think this one is GL Pease Westminster?


Right blender (you're good at getting blenders!), wrong blend.....

"A luxurious blend comprising generous portions of Cyprus Latakia, ripe red Virginias and fine Oriental leaf, with a bit of bright added for a hint of subtle sweetness. "

aka.....Lagonda!


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Desertlifter said:


> Right blender (you're good at getting blenders!), wrong blend.....
> 
> "A luxurious blend comprising generous portions of Cyprus Latakia, ripe red Virginias and fine Oriental leaf, with a bit of bright added for a hint of subtle sweetness. "
> 
> aka.....Lagonda!


Well, I guess considering the blender and the tobaccos were right, that wasn't a half bad guess. Look at how close the tin descriptions are:

_"New World red virginias are enhanced with a gentle caress of bright leaf, then lavishly seasoned with rich oriental tobaccos and generous measures of noble Cypruss mountain Latakia." _

I should also mention that I smoked more of Sample "G" today at lunchtime, and while I am thoroughly enjoying it, I have no clue what it is. I think it might be a Peterson aromatic, but I am not sure. Give me one more smoke and I'll take a guess.


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## Derrick_Y (Apr 26, 2012)

I have to say this thread is highly entertaining to follow along.


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

laloin said:


> well after smoked the bowl of Sample C from TommyTree I only know it's a Virginia/perique/burley. smoked to the bottom of the bowl, nothing left but a fine grey ash. I still can't take a stab at what it is.
> I give up tommy


Remember when I said I didn't play fair? That one is Boxer, an over-the-counter of South Africa. Oh, and did I mention there was nothing in there but Virginia tobacco? I absolutely love that one, but I don't know if I'll be able to get more.


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

TommyTree said:


> Remember when I said I didn't play fair? That one is Boxer, an over-the-counter of South Africa. Oh, and did I mention there was nothing in there but Virginia tobacco? I absolutely love that one, but I don't know if I'll be able to get more.


Well, you certainly didn't stand a chance at guessing that one, did you Troy? But, at least you are getting to smoke some really awesome tobaccos! Probably not many people here have even heard of that one before...


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

DanR said:


> Well, I guess considering the blender and the tobaccos were right, that wasn't a half bad guess. Look at how close the tin descriptions are:
> 
> _"New World red virginias are enhanced with a gentle caress of bright leaf, then lavishly seasoned with rich oriental tobaccos and generous measures of noble Cypruss mountain Latakia." _
> 
> I should also mention that I smoked more of Sample "G" today at lunchtime, and while I am thoroughly enjoying it, I have no clue what it is. I think it might be a Peterson aromatic, but I am not sure. Give me one more smoke and I'll take a guess.


Full disclosure here - this one is a bit of a spoiler, and I would have just labeled the damn thing if it weren't for being so proud that I remembered my alphabet. 

I am however really interested in seeing what you would compare it to.


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

TommyTree said:


> Remember when I said I didn't play fair? That one is Boxer, an over-the-counter of South Africa. Oh, and did I mention there was nothing in there but Virginia tobacco? I absolutely love that one, but I don't know if I'll be able to get more.


eh gads, Boxer. Never heard of the blend till now. A straight flue cure Virginia according to tobacco reviews.com. It was dry bout of the bag and I didn't smell a thing save a very faint katsup smell. 2 others guys said the same thing, the didn't smell a thing. I swore it was a Va/Per or a Va/Per/burley.
I was smoking it out of my Mr.G straight billard. put match to fire, no sweetness, alot of peppery notes, and hayish notes. Towards mid bowl that's where I started getting a bit of sweetness. Yummy stuff for a OTC  
yep your right Dan, TommyTree hit me with some fine tobacco.
Mccllends 2015 with a few years of age
Bell's 3 Nuns, that Dublinthedan raves about, and now I see why, pure evil of TommyTree to send that. I must have more
and Boxer 
what's in store for the other 2 bags, only Tommytree knows heh
troy


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

DanR said:


> ...and it's also already been mentioned on this thread by one of our....most knowledgeable smokers, but not as a guess.


No, I'm pretty sure it was the guy who thought a blend with 50% latakia had no latakia who mentioned it...


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

On to "C". This looks very much like "A", but has a distinctly different bag note. Maybe a little burley in this one? Since it looks so much like "A", I'll say, "More Pease, please." Definitely more flavor than "A", but I don't detect any perique or Latakia. Could this be Montgomery? VERY nice, whatever it is! :tu I'm having a go at this with the FourDot pot, so plenty of time to develop the flavor. (I should probably return to "A" with this pipe and see how it performs...) 

This smokes much cooler than "A" and has a better burn, judging from the ash. No great snorkiness yet, so I'm sticking with no perique. As I contemplate all this, I'm concerned that the cut for Montgomery is "ribbon" on tobakrevs, but I've found that cut descriptions can be a little murky sometimes. I mention this, because I found a small piece of what appeared to be broken flake in this load that had sugar crystals on it! :shock: (Already halfway through the bowl, so I hope it's safe! :lol: ) I'm liking this more and more. p

I don't think I'm going to learn anything else as I finish the last third, so I'll sit back and enjoy the end! :smile: I'm going with Montgomery! And if it has perique in it, I'm going to have to get a new olfactory bulb -- this one does have rather a lot of miles on it. Although...could that be orientals sneaking in at the bottom? :ask: Still, I'll stick with Montgomery, fool that I am.


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## RupturedDuck (Jan 11, 2012)

I received four samples of tobacco from John (Xodar) today. It looks like a pretty interesting journey! Currently, I'm on bowl #2 of sample A, there looks to be a good 3 more bowls or so in that bag!

Sample A is a light brown mixture of almost velvety leaf. The moisture content, and excellent feel of the tobacco harkened me immediately to the Nording blends that I've tried. This particular blend seem to be predominately Burley, with a little hayness that might come from a bit of Virginia. Alas, I don't believe that any of the Nording blends are Burley based. It cannot be 5 Brothers, as it is ribbon cut, not shag, and it has more moisture than I would think you'd find in 5 Brothers. McClelland makes Nording's blends, and so I looked for a McClelland that might match the description, but came up empty handed.

The baggie note could be confused with a slightly less sweet Raisin Bran...one that you might find at a Co-op health food store, rather than Post or Kellog's. The tobacco is rather fine cut (though not shag), and packs easily. I made sure not to over pack, and the impression that I get as I sip through my second bowl with a perfect draw is that this tobacco is condusive to a great pack, and will forgive some error of the packer. I attribute this to a combination of the fine cut of the tobacco, and its moisture level (I didn't put this out to dry before smoking).

After a couple rounds of light, tamp, light, the bowl burns cool and dry...no gurgle or bite...and steady. The first bowl burned all the way to the bottom without relighting, and the second bowl is giving every indication of doing the same thing. As a point (interesting or otherwise) I'm enjoying this tobacco in the Mario Grandi pipe that JuanOrez gave me (thanks again John!).

In my opinion, this tobacco is best enjoyed with a beverage (I have selected a Pabst Blue Ribbon so as to not overly effect the pallet) as it does have a tendancy to dry the mouth. It is a very mild tobacco. I'm trying to pick up some of the sweetness of Virginias, or the spice of Perique, but I cannot. Although I can pick up a hint of light grass. The scent of my moustache would leave me to believe that there is some Latakia in the blend, but I'm almost positive that is left over from the Presbyterian Mixture that I was smoking earlier. I cannot detect any in this blend while smoking it, or from the bag note. I don't often smoke burley blends, and this one does not have the nicotine strength I would have expected. It is a light, mild smoke that burns easily all the way to a pile of fine grey ash that pours easily from the bottom of the bowl.

Before I hazard a guess, I want to qualify the above statement. It is quite possible that I don't know a Burley from a Gum Drop. Looking through McClelland's catalog, I didn't find anything that quite matched my experience with this blend. And so I moved to Cornell & Diehl, and after ruling out Merlin's Choice (as it doesn't appear to be available anymore) I landed on...Haunted Bookshop? I know that it is supposed to have Perique in it, but on tobaccoreviews.com, the general consensus was that the Perique was very lightly added.

RD


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

I'm smoking through Sample D from TrommyTree. Now I'm 0-3 in figuring out what blends I'm smoking. A was Mccllends 2015, B was bell's 3 Nuns, and C was Boxer. So I have no chance with D.
Sameple D is a ribbons cut, with smaller crimp cut bits, what I believer is burley, with a touch of Virginia to give me the hayish notes. I'm mostly getting a nutty taste with some Virginia, and a topping of some sort. This reminds me of a light aro. Smoking this in my Comey straight billard, group 4 or group 3 size. I think I can take a stab at this. 
I think this is PS pistashio. 
I'm only saying this caz the light topping reminds me of eating pistashios.
That and I remember DanR saying he had smoked this blend recently, He mentioned something bout tommyTree sending out sample of this to everyone.
Am I right Tommy ???


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Desertlifter said:


> Full disclosure here - this one is a bit of a spoiler, and I would have just labeled the damn thing if it weren't for being so proud that I remembered my alphabet.
> 
> I am however really interested in seeing what you would compare it to.


OK, well then I'll just say that the flavor in Sample G reminded me most of 4noggins Bald Headed Teacher, or maybe C&D Epiphany, only with subtle differences. This one is much sweeter, but the sweetness blends well with the natural tobacco, making it seem like it just had a topping of sugar (if that makes any sense). However, the cut of the tobacco is what is really throwing me off. I have the two I mentioned, and this tobacco looks nothing like them. In fact I said Peterson earlier because I have a tin of Peterson Christmas blend and this looks just like it (although not at all alike in flavor). Whatever this really is, it's pretty good.


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

laloin said:


> I'm smoking through Sample D from TrommyTree. Now I'm 0-3 in figuring out what blends I'm smoking. A was Mccllends 2015, B was bell's 3 Nuns, and C was Boxer. So I have no chance with D.
> Sameple D is a ribbons cut, with smaller crimp cut bits, what I believer is burley, with a touch of Virginia to give me the hayish notes. I'm mostly getting a nutty taste with some Virginia, and a topping of some sort. This reminds me of a light aro. Smoking this in my Comey straight billard, group 4 or group 3 size. I think I can take a stab at this.
> I think this is PS pistashio.
> I'm only saying this caz the light topping reminds me of eating pistashios.
> ...


Light aromatic, yes. Pistachio, not so much. This one is Two Friends English Chocolate. Yup, you completely missed the latakia.


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

gawd I'm 0-4 in guessing what TommyTree sent me. I didn't even smell any Lat. really smooth. No bite. some sweetness I guess from the coco they add in. Yummy stuff. this I have to get more of 
thanks tommy


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

DanR said:


> OK, well then I'll just say that the flavor in Sample G reminded me most of 4noggins Bald Headed Teacher, or maybe C&D Epiphany, only with subtle differences. This one is much sweeter, but the sweetness blends well with the natural tobacco, making it seem like it just had a topping of sugar (if that makes any sense). However, the cut of the tobacco is what is really throwing me off. I have the two I mentioned, and this tobacco looks nothing like them. In fact I said Peterson earlier because I have a tin of Peterson Christmas blend and this looks just like it (although not at all alike in flavor). Whatever this really is, it's pretty good.


I said this one was a spoiler because similar to a couple of other BOTL's, I included a B&M blend for you!

This was Lil Brown Smokeshack's Xmas Future. Every year they put out a Christmas Past, Present, and Future set of blends during the holiday season. This one was my favorite of the three - I quite enjoyed it.

So your guess of a Christmas blend was actually really close. Nice!

And I need to get myself some of that Bald-Headed Teacher stuff. Because well....you know.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

freestoke said:


> On to "C". This looks very much like "A", but has a distinctly different bag note. Maybe a little burley in this one? Since it looks so much like "A", I'll say, "More Pease, please." Definitely more flavor than "A", but I don't detect any perique or Latakia. Could this be Montgomery? VERY nice, whatever it is! :tu I'm having a go at this with the FourDot pot, so plenty of time to develop the flavor. (I should probably return to "A" with this pipe and see how it performs...)
> 
> This smokes much cooler than "A" and has a better burn, judging from the ash. No great snorkiness yet, so I'm sticking with no perique. As I contemplate all this, I'm concerned that the cut for Montgomery is "ribbon" on tobakrevs, but I've found that cut descriptions can be a little murky sometimes. I mention this, because I found a small piece of what appeared to be broken flake in this load that had sugar crystals on it! :shock: (Already halfway through the bowl, so I hope it's safe! :lol: ) I'm liking this more and more. p
> 
> I don't think I'm going to learn anything else as I finish the last third, so I'll sit back and enjoy the end! :smile: I'm going with Montgomery! And if it has perique in it, I'm going to have to get a new olfactory bulb -- this one does have rather a lot of miles on it. Although...could that be orientals sneaking in at the bottom? :ask: Still, I'll stick with Montgomery, fool that I am.


 I've got to quit using Pease blends in these things!

Yes it is Pease, but it's not Montgomery. However, here's my reasoning as to why this is a very good guess:
1. Montgomery, a part of the Fog City Collection, is one of those 'virginias with a difference' blends that Mr. Pease seems to be so good at creating.
2. I've felt from first try that, going by taste alone, this tobacco would fit right in with the Fog City Collection, perhaps more so than Embarcadero. 
3. The reason for this is that it is also a great 'virginia with a difference blend".

Anyway, the tobacco is Cairo, a combination of virginias and orientals, with just a touch of...no, I'm not going to say it...I can't do that to you!


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

Anyway, the tobacco is Cairo, a combination of virginias and orientals, with just a touch of...no, I'm not going to say it...I can't do that to you! 
that's must plain mean Mark....ya meanie


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> Anyway, the tobacco is Cairo, a combination of virginias and orientals, *with just a touch of.*..no, I'm not going to say it...I can't do that to you!


Fiend! :fencing: I thought that was orientals there at the end. sigh. I guess the little bit of Latakia faked me into thinking it was burley. sigh. (I think we need to put new batteries in our Latakia detectors, Mark. :lol Whatever, I really liked it! :tu

Got an early scramble today, so I probably won't get to D until tomorrow.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

My guess is that you're getting tripped up by the fact that the stuff I smoke that has perique only uses it in a very light fashion. Any more than that, and I can't stand it. Escudo, for example, tastes to me like it's been ruined with the stuff.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

I tried sample H this morning and have decided that I shouldn’t be allowed to buy my own tobacco anymore. Bryan seems to have a better understanding of what I like than I do. This one was a dark brown broken flake that rubbed out well, but didn’t dry out as much as I am used to. It seemed a little oily and had a distinct aroma that I couldn’t place. It lit well, burned cool, and had a very mild sweet flavor. I kept expecting it to bite me because the flavor was so mild I thought it was all or almost all Virginia. About halfway through the bowl I started picking out an earthy spicy flavor. It reminded me of the hard candies my grandfather liked. I am thinking horehound licorice or sassafras root. This was my favorite so far. Again I have no clue what it was. I don’t even have a comparison tobacco for this one.


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

MarkC said:


> I've got to quit using Pease blends in these things!
> 
> Yes it is Pease, but it's not Montgomery. However, here's my reasoning as to why this is a very good guess:
> 1. Montgomery, a part of the Fog City Collection, is one of those 'virginias with a difference' blends that Mr. Pease seems to be so good at creating.
> ...


I think Greg Pease does latakia blends better than anyone else. I almost always find his non-latakias disappointing and lackluster. Then again, Cairo is in my Top 5. Not my Top 5 VA-blends or Top 5 Pease blends, just my Top 5. It's really an amazing tobacco and one of the few VAs that doesn't need (and probably doesn't want) any age. I tried a six-year-old tin a friend of mine had, and it was definitely not the same blend. Rather average and ordinary to me at that point. Get this one and smoke it NOW!


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

TommyTree said:


> I think Greg Pease does latakia blends better than anyone else. I almost always find his non-latakias disappointing and lackluster. Then again, Cairo is in my Top 5. Not my Top 5 VA-blends or Top 5 Pease blends, just my Top 5. It's really an amazing tobacco and one of the few VAs that doesn't need (and probably doesn't want) any age. I tried a six-year-old tin a friend of mine had, and it was definitely not the same blend. Rather average and ordinary to me at that point. Get this one and smoke it NOW!


Hmm... I guess it's time for me to revisit that one. I bought two tins about a year ago and popped the first immediately. I found the blend to be just ok, nothing fabulous. However, I have seen a noticeable change in my preferences for tobaccos since then. I guess I'll pop the other tin soon.


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

mikebjrtx said:


> I tried sample H this morning and have decided that I shouldn't be allowed to buy my own tobacco anymore. Bryan seems to have a better understanding of what I like than I do. This one was a dark brown broken flake that rubbed out well, but didn't dry out as much as I am used to. It seemed a little oily and had a distinct aroma that I couldn't place. It lit well, burned cool, and had a very mild sweet flavor. I kept expecting it to bite me because the flavor was so mild I thought it was all or almost all Virginia. About halfway through the bowl I started picking out an earthy spicy flavor. It reminded me of the hard candies my grandfather liked. I am thinking horehound licorice or sassafras root. This was my favorite so far. Again I have no clue what it was. I don't even have a comparison tobacco for this one.


Based on your description, I think I know what it is! If I'm right, it's a hard to find tobacco.


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## Xodar (Mar 4, 2011)

RupturedDuck said:


> I received four samples of tobacco from John (Xodar) today. It looks like a pretty interesting journey! Currently, I'm on bowl #2 of sample A, there looks to be a good 3 more bowls or so in that bag!
> 
> Sample A is a light brown mixture of almost velvety leaf. The moisture content, and excellent feel of the tobacco harkened me immediately to the Nording blends that I've tried. This particular blend seem to be predominately Burley, with a little hayness that might come from a bit of Virginia. Alas, I don't believe that any of the Nording blends are Burley based. It cannot be 5 Brothers, as it is ribbon cut, not shag, and it has more moisture than I would think you'd find in 5 Brothers. McClelland makes Nording's blends, and so I looked for a McClelland that might match the description, but came up empty handed.
> 
> ...


Your taster was working pretty darn well Gabriel. Sample A is a VA/Burley blend, and is without Perique. Wrong blending house though, that is Esoterica Tilbury, one of my favorite go-to smokes. The ribbon cut seems to burn down near effortlessly. The PBR was a nice touch as well, a little early to enjoy one with the bowl I am smoking now but that will go on the menu for later today = P


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## Xodar (Mar 4, 2011)

DanR said:


> Based on your description, I think I know what it is! If I'm right, it's a hard to find tobacco.


Hmm, if we're thinking the same blend, then that is one of the best blind descriptions of it I have ever read, it painted a picture and (hopefully) pointed me at the same guess.


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## RupturedDuck (Jan 11, 2012)

Xodar said:


> Your taster was working pretty darn well Gabriel. Sample A is a VA/Burley blend, and is without Perique. Wrong blending house though, that is Esoterica Tilbury, one of my favorite go-to smokes. The ribbon cut seems to burn down near effortlessly. The PBR was a nice touch as well, a little early to enjoy one with the bowl I am smoking now but that will go on the menu for later today = P


So that is Tillbury? While trying to make up my mind what it was, I had actually read the Tillbury description, and passed on it, not finding the flavor particularly "piquant." So, would you say that this blend is a Virginia with a lilttle Burley? I was thinking it was the other way around. From this selection, It is very understandable where Esoterica gets their reputation from...great tobacco.

RD


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## Xodar (Mar 4, 2011)

RupturedDuck said:


> So that is Tillbury? While trying to make up my mind what it was, I had actually read the Tillbury description, and passed on it, not finding the flavor particularly "piquant." So, would you say that this blend is a Virginia with a lilttle Burley? I was thinking it was the other way around. This is the first Esoterica blend that I've tried. It is very understandable where they get their reputation from...great tobacco.
> 
> RD


My own take is that is VA dominant with burley a secondary component, but that's totally subjective. You danced right around the ingredients, I think you were definitely picking them out. And I have to agree with the Esoterica tobaccos... I haven't tried them all yet, but I have not been disappointed with those I have tried.


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

So I'm on laloin's Sample B. It looks like Luxury Navy Flake. It smokes like Luxury Navy Flake. But it doesn't quite smell like it in the pouch. It's a bit green, too, if I'm not mistaken, so I don't think he's had it long. For all those reasons, I'm going to guess it's Newminster Supreme Flake.


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

oops Tommy I just read my notes on what I sent you. sample A is actually GLP filimore. it's from a generous sample DanR gave me that had been aging in the tin since 2008. I believe Dan orginally got it from RJPuff.
sorry bout the mix-up
Now Sample B, your way off my friend. yes it's pretty green, soo I just popped the tin of it. But it's not the newminster Navy flake, it's MacBaren Mixture flake. My Bad Tommy, But now I think you'll want to smoke the Filimore again hehehe. As far as the mixture flake, I thought the same thing, it needs some age. But it's something that hardly ever spoken of here. The rest of the block of stuck together flakes will go into a jar, never to see daylight hah


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

ok smoking the last sample from tommytree. this smells of english nice ribbon cut of dark ribbons of Lat, and lighter shades of probley orintial. I think Drama leaf. smoking out of my no named calabas, taste of a balkan. caz I get that campfire taste, and sweet/spicy from the Orinital leaf. this isn't heavy on the lat either. Could it be the new balkan sambraine ?????
troy


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

TommyTree said:


> I think Greg Pease does latakia blends better than anyone else. I almost always find his non-latakias disappointing and lackluster. Then again, Cairo is in my Top 5. Not my Top 5 VA-blends or Top 5 Pease blends, just my Top 5. It's really an amazing tobacco and one of the few VAs that doesn't need (and probably doesn't want) any age. I tried a six-year-old tin a friend of mine had, and it was definitely not the same blend. Rather average and ordinary to me at that point. Get this one and smoke it NOW!


Yeah, I know I'm definitely in the minority, being a Pease Virginia fanatic, but I really like what he's done with the Fog City stuff.


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

I haven't really gotten into Pease line of tobacco save for some Filimore which is a va/per, and Union square. I remember when I 1st started smoking pipes, Mark sent me a sample of Union Square. At the time I was still developing my tastes for tobacco, and I didn't think too much of Union square. I should revisit Union square again. Filimore was ok too much perique. I found that some Va/per if there is a heavy hand of the perique, it takes over the Virginias, and I end up getting a sour malty taste. 
am I making sense Mark?
troy


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Yeah. I love the sweetness of a virginia, but the sweetness of perique just tastes artificial to me, and if it dominates the virginia, there's no hope for me.

And don't tell anyone, but the first time I tried Union Square I was unimpressed. I warmed up to it a bit, though...


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

I tried sample F this morning and I’m going to need some help with this one. It’s a piece of a plug. It looks just like plug chewing tobacco only darker. It’s got dusty sugar forming on the face of the cuts. I took a tiny piece to chew and it is sweet and flavorful. I tried to cut off thin slices and rub it like a flake but it is just breaking apart at the layers. It is not fluffing up at all and I am winding up with little strips of tobacco. I cut these into tiny cubes and loaded up my pipe with the largest pieces on bottom and the crumbs on top. It started great, lit easy and burned cool. It was sweet with a leathery vanilla flavor: Sweet on the tip of the tongue and vanilla on the back of the tongue. For the first ten minutes I am thinking this is even better than the last tobacco. Then the wheels fell off the wagon. I could not keep it lit. I was getting it way too hot, and it was biting me. The flavor was turning bitter with a burnt oily aroma. I dumped the ash off the top and almost half of the bowl was gone. All the crumbs and tiny pieces were reduced to a fine white ash. The bottom half of the bowl is small pieces that have swelled together to form a charcoal briquette. This stuff is also very strong. The tasty first half had more kick than a full bowl of anything else that I have tried.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

I gave the second half of the bowl of sample F about an hour rest in the morning sun. I dumped the charred pieces off the top and the clean tobacco below crumbled and was easy to relight. It burned cool the rest of the way, but the magic was gone. It was no longer sweet and the vanilla taste was now just a vanilla aroma. It had a stronger leathery taste and even stronger kick. One bowl of this is like two or three double scotches. If I could get it to burn all the way like the first half, this would be a great tobacco to zone out with. I will not be trying it again on an empty stomach.


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

should never try and smoke a stout blend on a empty stomach. we'd be seeing you turn green before our eyes, and puking your guts out. Not a pretty sight heheheh


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

laloin said:


> should never try and smoke a stout blend on a empty stomach.


I don't know if I've seen anybody make any sort of conjecture about this, but, bearing in mind that nicotine is a neurotoxin, I'd guess that a substantial amount is swallowed while smoking. With food in your stomach, the nicotine stays dilute, but empty, the stomach's lining gets a much stronger dose, causing who knows what.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

I have been doing some research at tobaccoreviews dot com and I think I know what two of my samples are. I think sample H is Stonehaven, and sample F is cob Plug. I am still guessing Dark Star for sample D and I would very much like to know what A is. It is a very good Balkan blend, better than any other I have tried.


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

I finally got around to smoking mikeb's first sample. "A" is a very dark flake, actually it's black. It was still very moist, and did not rub out smoothly, actually it just broke up into smaller chucks. The scent of the tobacco was straight up prunes. I let it sit for 20 minutes, and filled a cob. It was probably should have had some extra drying time but I was being impatient and lit it up. Something about this tobacco was familiar to me, but I'm certain that I've never tried this one before. It took 2 matches to get a good light going, but I assume that was from the moisture level. The first half of the bowl nothing really happened. It was a light flavor and not much was detectable even when retrohaling. Once the pipe was half way through this blend seamed to really pick up. The flavors deepened, and retrohaling gave me flavors of figs, and there was a sweetness that kept flirting in and out as well. I have it in my mind that this was from one of the Kendel blenders just from the look of the flake, that may be incorrectly swaying my guess, but I'm going to say *Sample "A" was SG Bracken Flake*


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

Finally got a chance to try my "A" sample, a nice flake. Darker in color than uni flake and with what appears to be a bit of smokiness on the nose - touch of latakia?

Used the fold and stuff method to get things packed and it was off to the races. Initially this reminded me a lot of Uni Flake, with subtle sweetness that showed itself more on the retrohale. This did not have the plum flavoring of uni flake though - it was more a Virginia sweetness. The smoky note that I got from the pre-burn sniff wasn't really evident while I was smoking the tobacco.

This is way beyond my meager noob-skills at tobacco. I would venture to say that:
A: This has some age on it.
B: It has Virginia
C: It either has a touch of latakia or some kind of dark-fired leaf that I've read about (like Gawith & Hogarth Dark Flake)

My samples were more than generous - thanks much to Dan for that - and I will enjoy a bowl of this rubbed out too. From my initial read we can say one thing for sure:

I like this stuff!


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Desertlifter said:


> Finally got a chance to try my "A" sample, a nice flake. Darker in color than uni flake and with what appears to be a bit of smokiness on the nose - touch of latakia?
> 
> Used the fold and stuff method to get things packed and it was off to the races. Initially this reminded me a lot of Uni Flake, with subtle sweetness that showed itself more on the retrohale. This did not have the plum flavoring of uni flake though - it was more a Virginia sweetness. The smoky note that I got from the pre-burn sniff wasn't really evident while I was smoking the tobacco.
> 
> ...


In the fashion of the game we played as kids, I'd say you are getting Hot, my friend! It is not Dark Flake but you are certainly on the right track. The tobacco only has about a year's age, but it is definately a true "English" tobacco. I was hoping you'd like it, because it's one of my favorites. I can't wait to see your guess...


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

Dan doesn't play fair either. Just like TommyTree had me guessing wrong on all the blends except sample E which I know is a Balkan something LOL


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

DanR said:


> In the fashion of the game we played as kids, I'd say you are getting Hot, my friend! It is not Dark Flake but you are certainly on the right track. The tobacco only has about a year's age, but it is definately a true "English" tobacco. I was hoping you'd like it, because it's one of my favorites. I can't wait to see your guess...


Here goes....

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say....Samuel Gawith Navy Flake.


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Desertlifter said:


> Here goes....
> 
> I'm going to go out on a limb here and say....Samuel Gawith Navy Flake.


You Sir, are correct! Nicely done!!

In a different thread, Jim made a comment about smoking "limey tobacco in limey weather", and this is the one that goes best with gloomy, overcast, cold, or wet weather for me. It's great for shaking off the dew. I buy SG Navy Flake in 250g boxes when it's available that way. I like it that much. It really doesn't need aging to be good, although it certainly doesn't hurt it either.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Desertlifter said:


> Here goes....
> 
> I'm going to go out on a limb here and say....Samuel Gawith Navy Flake.


Well limned, too!


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## RupturedDuck (Jan 11, 2012)

On to sample B from Xodar:

The baggie note was hard to pick out. I think because I have this baggie stuck in a drawer with several other baggies (btw, that is one great smelling drawer!). I smoked two bowls yesterday, one straight out of the baggie, the other after leaving it out to dry for several hours (whoops!). The tobacco is a Flake Tobacco, with streaks of light and darker browns. Straight out of the baggie, the tobacco was very moist, the flakes don't even break when performing a fold-n-stuff. After several hours of drying, well the flake is much more brittle (go figure). Smelling the tobacco directly from the palm of my hand, I noted a rather mild "palm note," not overpowering at all. It smelled sweet, and delicious.

The first bowl took a little to get lit. Once lit, it did not burn hot at all...it took a lot of puffing to keep it fired, and it created a lot of pipe juice. It was an interesting smoke, but very mild. The tobacco was not producing a lot of smoking, but it allowed me to enjoy some of its more subtle flavors. It smoked sweet, but a lot less so than say, University Flake. The flavoring was like mollasses or rum. The second bowl burned quite a bit hotter (my fault for forgetting about it drying there). It actually wasn't a bad smoke, but it was impossible to detect the sweetness that the first bowl had. It burned well, and without pipe juice.

On, to bowl three. This is how this tobacco (undoubtedly) was made to smoke! I let it dry maybe 20 mins. Already, the tobacco was noticably drier, to the point that I thought perhaps I had over dried it again. I did smoke it in the same pipe as the other two samples, a T. Christiano signature plateau top that I almost exclusively smoke flake tobaccos in. The tobacco caught easily, and burned well. Very cool and dry. Still a bit more mild than University Flake, and perhaps not as sweet, I could detect something in addition to the molasses this time, perhaps raisins? Or maybe gingerbread? Probably more like Suet Pudding. I was quite disappointed when the bowl finished, knowing that I have only one more bowl of this sample. I must be careful when drying it!

Having only recently figured out how to smoke a flake, my experience with them is not very deep, and is limited to basically Marlin Flake and Uni Flake. Now that I'm getting towards the bottom of the sample, I wish I had paid more attention to the appearance of the flakes when they were whole. They were well formed, and wide. When treated correctly, I find this an excellent and thoroughly enjoyable tobacco.

Now the tough part. Sample C is also a flake, so it will be interesting to compare these two. As a mild flake tobacco, with no detectable vanilla notes, I'm going to go with MacBaren Navy Flake.

RD


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

Commander Quan said:


> I finally got around to smoking mikeb's first sample. "A" is a very dark flake, actually it's black. It was still very moist, and did not rub out smoothly, actually it just broke up into smaller chucks. The scent of the tobacco was straight up prunes. I let it sit for 20 minutes, and filled a cob. It was probably should have had some extra drying time but I was being impatient and lit it up. Something about this tobacco was familiar to me, but I'm certain that I've never tried this one before. It took 2 matches to get a good light going, but I assume that was from the moisture level. The first half of the bowl nothing really happened. It was a light flavor and not much was detectable even when retrohaling. Once the pipe was half way through this blend seamed to really pick up. The flavors deepened, and retrohaling gave me flavors of figs, and there was a sweetness that kept flirting in and out as well. I have it in my mind that this was from one of the Kendel blenders just from the look of the flake, that may be incorrectly swaying my guess, but I'm going to say *Sample "A" was SG Bracken Flake*


Sample A is Dark Star. It is a new tin that was just opened a few weeks ago. I havn't tried Braken Flake but Dark Star tastes sweet and fruity to me also. When I first opened it I thought it smelled like vinegar but now I think it smells like something sweet fermenting.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

I tried sample B tonight. It’s a lovely brown broken flake with a lightly fermented smell. It was cool and sweet with a fruity and spicy flavor. I had to relight once after about 45 minutes 2/3 of the way through the bowl. At that point it was less sweet but still fruity and spicy with a bit of a pepper taste. I will guess a Mc Clelland VaPer with red and yellow Virginia.


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## Hambone1 (May 31, 2011)

I have had 1 bowl of A from Moose and it definitely reminds me of PS Luxury Twist Flake. Definitely a Virginia blend. Only on my first bowl..... researching further


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

laloin said:


> Dan doesn't play fair either. Just like TommyTree had me guessing wrong on all the blends except sample E which I know is a Balkan something LOL


Is that the official guess? It's definitely not Balkan Something.


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

mikebjrtx said:


> Sample A is Dark Star. It is a new tin that was just opened a few weeks ago. I havn't tried Braken Flake but Dark Star tastes sweet and fruity to me also. When I first opened it I thought it smelled like vinegar but now I think it smells like something sweet fermenting.


Dark Star actually was my other guess, but with the lack of any detectable ketchup smell I excluded it.


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

TommyTree said:


> Is that the official guess? It's definitely not Balkan Something.


great soo I'm 0-5 on my guess, I swear it's a balkan blend, I taste sweetness from Orinital, but also some spicy notes. Sure not Perique. there is a smokiness from the Latakia. Know tommy he threw me for a loop yet again....ok cough it up. I'm dying to know heh


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

Commander Quan said:


> Dark Star actually was my other guess, but with the lack of any detectable ketchup smell I excluded it.


If that's the case I should change my guess for sample D to Braken Flake. I guessed Dark Star But it didn't have that sharp smell either.


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

laloin said:


> great soo I'm 0-5 on my guess, I swear it's a balkan blend, I taste sweetness from Orinital, but also some spicy notes. Sure not Perique. there is a smokiness from the Latakia. Know tommy he threw me for a loop yet again....ok cough it up. I'm dying to know heh


It's Solani Blend 779: English Luxury Mixture, a decent light English that I bought at the 2010 St. Louis Pipe Show and only opened just before this contest.


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## Xodar (Mar 4, 2011)

RupturedDuck said:


> On to sample B from Xodar:
> 
> The baggie note was hard to pick out. I think because I have this baggie stuck in a drawer with several other baggies (btw, that is one great smelling drawer!). I smoked two bowls yesterday, one straight out of the baggie, the other after leaving it out to dry for several hours (whoops!). The tobacco is a Flake Tobacco, with streaks of light and darker browns. Straight out of the baggie, the tobacco was very moist, the flakes don't even break when performing a fold-n-stuff. After several hours of drying, well the flake is much more brittle (go figure). Smelling the tobacco directly from the palm of my hand, I noted a rather mild "palm note," not overpowering at all. It smelled sweet, and delicious.
> 
> ...


Provided I haven't transposed any samples on my list, sample "B" was SG Full VA Flake. The SG stuff does tend to come on the moist side, so I also tend to let it dry out for a while prior to smoking, or load a bowl the day before (like the one I am smoking this morning). I should probably also mention that rubbed out portions are the same as the flake in the those samples, I just added some from the "ready" jar to beef the sample up where I didn't have enough whole flakes open.

I am interested in seeing what you think of the second flake there.


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

TommyTree said:


> It's Solani Blend 779: English Luxury Mixture, a decent light English that I bought at the 2010 St. Louis Pipe Show and only opened just before this contest.


well least I wasn't wrong bout the Latakia, my 1st taste of a Solani blend....good stuff


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

Sample C tonight. It is very sweet and cool with a touch of caramel and wet hay. I will guess blackwoods flake.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Xodar said:


> Provided I haven't transposed any samples on my list, sample "B" was SG Full VA Flake.


The way he described it, I don't think you transposed any. Or certainly not that one!


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

Well I was sure sample F was Cob Plug so I got a couple oz of 1792 flake to see if I could keep it lit. It was a lot easier to keep the flake lit and the taste was similar but it was not nearly as strong as sample F. I had a couple of bowls today and did feel it but that plug was a lot stronger. It actually put me to sleep. I have no idea what it is.


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

I seem to have done the unthinkable. I took samples B and C to the B&M, which is under renovations, and I seem to have come back home with neither. I'm guessing it got swallowed up somewhere in the moving of furniture. I will keep looking, but it seems I am finished with my blind sampling.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

mikebjrtx said:


> Well I was sure sample F was Cob Plug...


Hell, Derrick would never send something THAT obvious! :spy:


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

You're right, but maybe Bryan did...


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## Hambone1 (May 31, 2011)

I haven't seen Moose in this thread, where did he go? My best guess for A is a straight Virginia Flake tobacco. My guess would be SG 1792 or PS Luxury Twist Flake. I'll be trying B this weekend.


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

mikebjrtx said:


> I have been doing some research at tobaccoreviews dot com and I think I know what two of my samples are. I think sample H is Stonehaven, and sample F is cob Plug. I am still guessing Dark Star for sample D and I would very much like to know what A is. It is a very good Balkan blend, better than any other I have tried.


Good to see you're having fun with this. I had a feeling when I saw what you dropped on CQ that you may be new to the forum, but not to the game...

Your descriptions and guesses have been spot on. True, Sample "H" is Stonehaven, Sample "F" is Cob Plug and you were correct with your first guess on Sample "D": Dark Star it is-from 
2005.

Glad you liked Sample "A"! I've been trying to convert people to this blend for a while as it makes a great substitute to a "hard to find" tobacco.

Let me know if you want me to spill the beans on "A", "B" & "C", otherwise, I'll wait until you drop your guesses on Samples "E", "G" & "I".

Keep up the great work and if it hasn't been stated already: Welcome to Puff!!


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

I have been smoking cigars for about a year but I have only been smoking a pipe for the last few months. I probably have more tins of tobacco than most new smokers. I only smoke about every other day but I don't think I have had more than a few bowls of anything yet. I'm just starting to learn enough about packing to be able to enjoy a smoke. I need to go back and try everything again and make notes this time. I have realy been enjoying your tobacco.


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## Xodar (Mar 4, 2011)

On to the "B" sample Gabriel sent my way:

In appearance it's a fairly fine ribbon on the dry side of the scale. It's just about where I like to smoke it now moisture-wise. The smell is clearly Lat forward, with some kind of sweetness lurking behind the smokiness. A mix of what looks like two types of tobacco, both very dark. One being dark brown and the Lat portion being nearly black, almost cavendish colored. Based on the smell and look I am guessing the second leaf is a burley.

Packs well, lights easily, and we're off and smoking. The latakia is definitely the driving flavor characteristic. It's hard to pick out other flavors, and there's definitely a sweetness I didn't expect as if there were some VA's in the mix or some kind of light topping. The nuttiness I expect from burleys haven't really pushed through by the middle of the bowl, but I am getting hints that may or may not be my imagination. The nicotine level seems satisfying but not overly strong, about what I'd expect from a burley blend. This tobacco is tasty, and snorking it does make my nose tingle a little in that perique-ey way, but that may just be me smoking a little too hot because it tastes so good. I am trying to pick out secondary flavors, but this seems like a good lat driven english. Other components are passengers along for the ride if they are there. 

Not really tongue bite, but this is tasty enough it's burning a little warm as I puff on it. When I dial it back to light sipping I feel like the burley shows itself a little, and my perique sense is still tingling a little, but it's not clear cut.

I don't believe I have had this one before, but I am going to take a stab at one that has long been on my to try list and just hasn't goptten to the top yet: Bald Headed Teacher ?


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

I got a change to smoke mikebjrtx's sample B this morning. This tobacco was in a spun coin format, and immediately, I expected Escudo. However, looks can be deceiving, so on with the test. I rolled 2 coins and stuffed them into a Brebbia Ninja Sabbiata. The tobacco lit well and burned exceptionally well. It's definitely a VaPer and had a nice spice to it. I smoked it this morning before I'd eaten anything and with the conclusion of the bowl had a decent nic buzz going, so all signs were still pointing to Escudo. I did notice that this blend was darker, and without as many yellow streaks through it, so I'm going to call this one *Dunhill Navy Rolls*.


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## RupturedDuck (Jan 11, 2012)

Xodar said:


> Provided I haven't transposed any samples on my list, sample "B" was SG Full VA Flake. The SG stuff does tend to come on the moist side, so I also tend to let it dry out for a while prior to smoking, or load a bowl the day before (like the one I am smoking this morning). I should probably also mention that rubbed out portions are the same as the flake in the those samples, I just added some from the "ready" jar to beef the sample up where I didn't have enough whole flakes open.
> 
> I am interested in seeing what you think of the second flake there.


Aha! So that is what FVF is? Nice! I'd heard a lot about it, and even purchased a 250g box I jarred, but hadn't tried yet. Glad to know where to go to find more of that!

RD


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Ok, so here's where I am so far:

I guessed Squadron Leader - it was PS English Luxury
I guessed Peterson Irish Flake - it was Uni Flake
I guessed C&D Bayou Morning Flake - it was Old Gowrie
I guessed Westminster - it was Lagonda
Sample G threw me - it was Lil Brown Smokeshop Christmas Past

I have two more samples to go. I smoked some Sample "A" this morning, and so far I'm coming up flat. However, my noggin was a little cloudy, so I plan to smoke some more tomorrow and see if I can venture a guess. So far, it seems like a nice strong burley blend of some sort...


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## mcgreggor57 (Nov 3, 2011)

This has been a great thread to follow. My hat's off to everyone who can pick up various flavors and at least hazard a guess.


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## RupturedDuck (Jan 11, 2012)

Xodar said:


> On to the "B" sample Gabriel sent my way:
> 
> In appearance it's a fairly fine ribbon on the dry side of the scale. It's just about where I like to smoke it now moisture-wise. The smell is clearly Lat forward, with some kind of sweetness lurking behind the smokiness. A mix of what looks like two types of tobacco, both very dark. One being dark brown and the Lat portion being nearly black, almost cavendish colored. Based on the smell and look I am guessing the second leaf is a burley.
> 
> ...


Sorry it took me a little to respond to this John. I wanted to smoke a bowl before giving away the answer. To me, this tobacco is like a milder Dunhill 965. Definitely Latakia, some Oriental. I think the Orientals might be what gave you the Perique tickle. I think the visual presentation had you thinking Burley too much...even after not being able to detect it during the smoking.

Sample B was actually Esoterica's ...And so to Bed.

_This mixture is absolutely ideal for the evening, ergo...we borrowed the name from the diaries of Samuel Pepys, Esquire. Finest grade Virginia and Maryland type tobaccos are carefully aged and blended with Greek "Oriental" leaf and top grade Cyprian Latakia. The blend is then specially procesed and additionally matured to produce a mellow, full-strength smoke with rich flavour and unique aroma._

So, now you only have one last sample to identify (Foggy Boggy  !

RD


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

I tried sample G tonight and will go with Long Golden Flake. It was very sweet with a flavor of grains and honey. I tried folding and stuffing it. It burned for a long time but seemed hot. I was trying to sip it slowly but it almost pushed the smoke into my mouth. When the fresh air hit the ember it would heat up fast and build pressure from the steam created underneath it. It has an aftertaste like I ate a bowl of raisin bran.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

Commander Quan said:


> I got a change to smoke mikebjrtx's sample B this morning. This tobacco was in a spun coin format, and immediately, I expected Escudo. However, looks can be deceiving, so on with the test. I rolled 2 coins and stuffed them into a Brebbia Ninja Sabbiata. The tobacco lit well and burned exceptionally well. It's definitely a VaPer and had a nice spice to it. I smoked it this morning before I'd eaten anything and with the conclusion of the bowl had a decent nic buzz going, so all signs were still pointing to Escudo. I did notice that this blend was darker, and without as many yellow streaks through it, so I'm going to call this one *Dunhill Navy Rolls*.


This is one I got at a local cigar shop it was labeled bullseye flake. They also had a twist flake and superior flake so i am guessing it is Peter Stokkebye or Newminster.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

Contrabass Bry said:


> Good to see you're having fun with this. I had a feeling when I saw what you dropped on CQ that you may be new to the forum, but not to the game...
> 
> Your descriptions and guesses have been spot on. True, Sample "H" is Stonehaven, Sample "F" is Cob Plug and you were correct with your first guess on Sample "D": Dark Star it is-from
> 2005.
> ...


I'm ready for you to spill the beans. I have to get some of that sample A


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

mikebjrtx said:


> I have been smoking cigars for about a year but I have only been smoking a pipe for the last few months.


I assumed you'd been smoking for years.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

MarkC said:


> I assumed you'd been smoking for years.


I grew up in a smoking house but it just never took with me. everything I tried tasted stale like cigarettes to me. It wasn't until a few years ago that I enjoyed my first cigar. I was in Canada on business and a few of the guys took me to the "ballet" and there were good cigars there. I had something that tasted like chocolate and coffee, not sweet but those bitter flavors. I didnt know how to find what I liked until about a year ago. I had been hanging out at a local cigar bar that has live music and told a friend my story asking for a recomendation. He introduced me to Curivari cigars and I fell in love with them. I have always liked the smell of cigars and pipes but I didnt like the taste of the ones that smell good to me. Now the tobaccos that taste good to me are starting to smell better.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

I can't believe Mike is nailing all these. What are we dealing with, some sort of tobacconist savant? :ask: I'm going on eight test questions, going back to last year, and have yet to get one right.


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

freestoke said:


> I can't believe Mike is nailing all these. What are we dealing with, some sort of tobacconist savant? :ask: I'm going on eight test questions, going back to last year, and have yet to get one right.


Truely!

Anyhoo, Sample "A" is: *insert fanfare*

G L Pease's Quiet Nights (from the Old London series). My favored substitute for Penzance. ChronoB always steps in to suggest Meridian as a sub for Penz, but not to my taste buds. You stated your favorite lat blend currently being Larry's Blend, which is great in it's own right! LB has a nice "funky" angle to it that keeps my interest. Glad it tickled your fancy!

Sample "B" is Cornell & Diehl's Exhausted Rooster. A VA/Bur/Per that I really enjoy (even in the face of the dreaded, sot-weed: burley!) A lot of reviewers on TobaccoReviews mention an "eggnog" aroma to the topping. This example is over 2yrs old and it appears to have mellowed the topping, but it still has a lovely sweet quality.

Sample "C" is McClelland's Bulk #2015. It can be a little "woody" when it's young, but after a couple years in the jar (as this sample has), I put this up against most other highly regarded VA/Pers (the price isn't too shabby either!)

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the remaining samples!

Enjoy!


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## Xodar (Mar 4, 2011)

RupturedDuck said:


> Sorry it took me a little to respond to this John. I wanted to smoke a bowl before giving away the answer. To me, this tobacco is like a milder Dunhill 965. Definitely Latakia, some Oriental. I think the Orientals might be what gave you the Perique tickle. I think the visual presentation had you thinking Burley too much...even after not being able to detect it during the smoking.
> 
> Sample B was actually Esoterica's ...And so to Bed.
> 
> ...


Ahh, good one Gabriel. Aye, I focused too much on the burley to start with and couldn't get it out of my head. You know, I had avoided trying this one thinking that it was cased fror some reason. What a nice offering, it occurred to me after I had typed that review and was smoking a little more of it that it did remind me of a lat enriched royal yacht, but I wasn't even close to the Esoterica line. That's one that I will likely be smoking more of, thanks for adding that to the mix. I'll look forward to to sampling the Foggy Boggy!


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

Got CQ's end yesterday and WOW, do I have my work cut out for me!

Samples labeled A-H tumbled, on after another, out of the box...

The first thing I notice as I arrange these on the table is that "B" and "C" look to be identical. What manner of "curve ball" is this?!? At any rate, I can honestly say that I don't recognize any of these tobaccos. Derrick even mention that he included 3 that even HE hadn't even tried!

My plan is to crack this doppleganger conundrum first. 

BRB.


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Good luck :cheer2:


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Sample A from Desertlifter

I'm back on this one after contemplating it for a day - really just to give my head a reset after traveling too much this week. My initial thoughts were that this was a strong burley blend, and I still believe there is burley in there, maybe just not as much as I originally thought. Rather, there is enough to give the tobacco an earthy flavor and a nice kick. Now, I detect Virginia and Perique. I did a search on tobacco reviews for tobaccos with those three components and no flavoring added, and I get 178 results - ugh! At least I see a few that I recognize. I can eliminate some, such as LGF, Irish Oak, and Epiphany pretty quickly. I know those tobaccos well and I'm certain this is not them (of course I was wrong before with my Old Gowrie mess up). Anyway, if I am right about my guess, I remember having this tobacco in a sample from Mycroft Holmes awhile back, and despite the name I was shocked that the Perique was rather subdued in that blend. So, I guess sample A to be MacBaren HH Acadian Perique.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Well, here we are at D, a beautiful brown flake with mottled areas of lighter tobaccos. With the crystallized sugars on the flake, I'm going to say it's a Va, since clearly my pallet and olfactory bulb are nothing to go by. I detect nothing else smoking it, neither perique nor burley and certainly no Latakia. Suspecting that Mark has thrown me a curve, I'm going with FVF. (It'll probably turn out to be Aged Burley Flake, sugar crystals and all...) Then again, maybe he was throwing me a bone so I wouldn't continue to look like a complete idiot. Of course, if it IS FVF, I still look like an idiot for not recognizing it in an instant, don't I? sigh. Maybe I'll do better next year! :smile:

Very nice, whatever it is! p


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

DanR said:


> Sample A from Desertlifter
> 
> I'm back on this one after contemplating it for a day - really just to give my head a reset after traveling too much this week. My initial thoughts were that this was a strong burley blend, and I still believe there is burley in there, maybe just not as much as I originally thought. Rather, there is enough to give the tobacco an earthy flavor and a nice kick. Now, I detect Virginia and Perique. I did a search on tobacco reviews for tobaccos with those three components and no flavoring added, and I get 178 results - ugh! At least I see a few that I recognize. I can eliminate some, such as LGF, Irish Oak, and Epiphany pretty quickly. I know those tobaccos well and I'm certain this is not them (of course I was wrong before with my Old Gowrie mess up). Anyway, if I am right about my guess, I remember having this tobacco in a sample from Mycroft Holmes awhile back, and despite the name I was shocked that the Perique was rather subdued in that blend. So, I guess sample A to be MacBaren HH Acadian Perique.


Burley was a good direction to head in, and Irish Oak was a dead end for sure! I've not tried LGF or Epiphany myself, so I can't compare them.

But in this case, you were once again hit with my fascination for Peterson tobaccos! It is....(drum roll please).....Peterson Luxury Blend. Seriously. I detect nearly none of the vanilla/honey in this tobacco, but it is lux blend nonetheless.

I quite like it.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

Sample E is a nice dark flake with a slight smell of wet hay. It rubbed out nice and packed well. It seemed to stay springy and burned great all the way to the bottom. It was sweet and had a changing mixture of fruity floral and licorice flavors. I kept trying to choose between floral or licorice and I just kept changing my mind over and over. The flavor was mild and refreshing. I will guess Erinmore Flake.

E Erinmore Flake?
G Long Golden Flake?


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Desertlifter said:


> Burley was a good direction to head in, and Irish Oak was a dead end for sure! I've not tried LGF or Epiphany myself, so I can't compare them.
> 
> But in this case, you were once again hit with my fascination for Peterson tobaccos! It is....(drum roll please).....Peterson Luxury Blend. Seriously. I detect nearly none of the vanilla/honey in this tobacco, but it is lux blend nonetheless.
> 
> I quite like it.


Wow, way off on that one. I don't get any of the flavoring at all. In fact, I would've swore that it was natural tobacco only.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

freestoke said:


> Well, here we are at D, a beautiful brown flake with mottled areas of lighter tobaccos. With the crystallized sugars on the flake, I'm going to say it's a Va, since clearly my pallet and olfactory bulb are nothing to go by. I detect nothing else smoking it, neither perique nor burley and certainly no Latakia. Suspecting that Mark has thrown me a curve, I'm going with FVF. (It'll probably turn out to be Aged Burley Flake, sugar crystals and all...) Then again, maybe he was throwing me a bone so I wouldn't continue to look like a complete idiot. Of course, if it IS FVF, I still look like an idiot for not recognizing it in an instant, don't I? sigh. Maybe I'll do better next year! :smile:
> 
> Very nice, whatever it is! p


I'd say you've pulled the game out in the last inning, at least partially. It's Samuel Gawith's St. James Flake, from the tin I got in the pipe lotto from Hannibal with, if I remember right, a little over three and a half years in the tin.

By the way, my apologies for slacking off on your samples; my plan was to devote a day off to each sample, but for some reason work decided that I really didn't need any days off for a couple of weeks. Fortunately I have a weeks vacation after this next week (and if they dare suggest putting it off, eardrums will be shattered!), but I guess I'll have to go ahead and jump on these samples on work day nights.


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

well since TommyTree last 2 samples went MIA I'll fill you in on what the last 2 samples were
A was Filimore from 2008 that came from RJPuff celler to DanR to me, I thought it was rather malty, yeast flavor sorta of like baked bread and a good beer, I check tobaccoreviews and it listed Latakia, swore I didn't taste any Latakia.
B is MacBaren Mixture flake, yes it's green, was a fresh tin I bought on a whim, since I enjoy MacBaren Navy flake soo much. the two flakes smell exactly the same. But once ya smoke Mixture flake, it's a different animal. The rest of the sticky block is in a jar. I shall revisit it again in 6 months.
C is Haunted Bookshop, probley the one Burley/Va/Perique blend I will smoke, the red virginia adds a touch of sweetness to the burleys giving a nice bread like taste, along with the familar chocolate notes to me. (everyone says burley taste like nuts) and the perique adds the pepper notes.
lets do this again Next year


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> I'd say you've pulled the game out in the last inning, at least partially. It's Samuel Gawith's St. James Flake.


Yeah!! :first: I got the maker right! :whoo: Maybe I like perique because I can't taste or smell it. :lol: I was wondering about the snorkiness, but somehow decided it couldn't have perique in it, that I was merely puffing in desperation to find something there that would tell me it wasn't FVF. ( p :spy: Nope. No perique here! Keep to the right and keep moving, people.)

Hey, no rush on those, Mark! Take your time. The fun will be over all too soon anyhow, right?


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

DanR said:


> Wow, way off on that one. I don't get any of the flavoring at all. In fact, I would've swore that it was natural tobacco only.


That's actually good to hear, because I don't get any flavoring on this one either. I think that I just might have to pick up some more and compare.


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

mikebjrtx said:


> Sample E is a nice dark flake with a slight smell of wet hay. It rubbed out nice and packed well. It seemed to stay springy and burned great all the way to the bottom. It was sweet and had a changing mixture of fruity floral and licorice flavors. I kept trying to choose between floral or licorice and I just kept changing my mind over and over. The flavor was mild and refreshing. I will guess Erinmore Flake.
> 
> E Erinmore Flake?
> G Long Golden Flake?


Right on both counts!

This guy has a golden palate! With only a few years of smoking pipes under your belt, you sure have a full grasp of flavors and a breadth of knowledge of blends!

Way to go! Hope they have been enjoyable for you...


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

Bryan, I have enjoyed the tobacco. I am guessing they all have some age on them. The two that I have compared to new samples have convinced me of the benefit of starting a cellar. I want to thank you for your generosity.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Contrabass Bry said:


> Right on both counts!


:spy: The guys got bionic olfactory bulb.


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

laloin said:


> well since TommyTree last 2 samples went MIA I'll fill you in on what the last 2 samples were
> A was Filimore from 2008 that came from RJPuff celler to DanR to me, I thought it was rather malty, yeast flavor sorta of like baked bread and a good beer, I check tobaccoreviews and it listed Latakia, swore I didn't taste any Latakia.
> B is MacBaren Mixture flake, yes it's green, was a fresh tin I bought on a whim, since I enjoy MacBaren Navy flake soo much. the two flakes smell exactly the same. But once ya smoke Mixture flake, it's a different animal. The rest of the sticky block is in a jar. I shall revisit it again in 6 months.
> C is Haunted Bookshop, probley the one Burley/Va/Perique blend I will smoke, the red virginia adds a touch of sweetness to the burleys giving a nice bread like taste, along with the familar chocolate notes to me. (everyone says burley taste like nuts) and the perique adds the pepper notes.
> lets do this again Next year


Thankfully, I smoked the second one before it went AWOL. I guessed it way wrong, but still had fun. I'm disappointed in the one that did get lost, because I actually smoke HB, and I considered its late blender, Bob Runowski, a friend. It makes me glad that his legacy is living on beyond his lifetime.

And I have absolutely no desire to wait until next year. Let's do this semiannually or even quarterly!


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## Hambone1 (May 31, 2011)

Trying Moose's B sample, don't know where Moose has been in this thread. I'd like to know how he liked his samples.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

mikebjrtx said:


> Bryan, I have enjoyed the tobacco. I am guessing they all have some age on them. The two that I have compared to new samples have convinced me of the benefit of starting a cellar. I want to thank you for your generosity.


RG to you for being a wizard! Now shut up and quit making the rest of us look like fools.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

freestoke said:


> Yeah!! :first: I got the maker right! :whoo: Maybe I like perique because I can't taste or smell it. :lol: I was wondering about the snorkiness, but somehow decided it couldn't have perique in it, that I was merely puffing in desperation to find something there that would tell me it wasn't FVF. ( p :spy: Nope. No perique here! Keep to the right and keep moving, people.)


Well, I have to admit that when I opened the tin, all I could smell was excellent Virginia, although I was thinking BBF not FVF. Once in the pipe, it let me know that it wasn't for me, though.



> Hey, no rush on those, Mark! Take your time. The fun will be over all too soon anyhow, right?


Well, I may wait then. I have a week off a week from now (after sixteen straight days; not a record, but I'm thoroughly sick of work!) and can dive in and _really_ embarrass myself...


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> Well, I may wait then. I have a week off a week from now (after sixteen straight days; not a record, but I'm thoroughly sick of work!) and can dive in and _really_ embarrass myself...


Please do! (I.e., wait, not embarrass yourself! :lol The more I think about this, the more it works out. I'm sending you two bomblets today to replace those last two test questions, Mark. I was unaware of your perique intolerance when I bundled the package and those will DEFINITELY not be to your liking; I'll make sure these are! I have two picked out already and it's only a matter of slipping them into the envelopes.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

I decided to wait until tomorrow to mail these, Mark, but they will be on their way then. lane: It was just too hot (94) and the mailbox is in the sun. Didn't want to destroy them before they even got on the plane. Tomorrow is cooler with rain.


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Sample E from Desertlifter

Ok, this is my last sample. It's an aromatic with big chunks of dark black cavendish. I definately have not had this tobacco before, and quite honestly I dont think I would seek it out. Its not bad, just not my cup of tea. The aroma is mild and fruity, and the flavor upon lighting is sort of perfume-like, but with a hint of fruit. Whatever the flavoring is, it's very faint.

In searching threads to sort of cheat a little, I saw that you did a review of PS Black Current Cavendish not long ago, and while my experience with this tobacco isn't exactly like yours was, I'm gonna guess that it's that...


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

freestoke said:


> Please do! (I.e., wait, not embarrass yourself! :lol The more I think about this, the more it works out. I'm sending you two bomblets today to replace those last two test questions, Mark. I was unaware of your perique intolerance when I bundled the package and those will DEFINITELY not be to your liking; I'll make sure these are! I have two picked out already and it's only a matter of slipping them into the envelopes.


You mean there's a reset button on this thing?  That isn't really necessary; I didn't tell you about it, and who knows, one of these I might figure out.


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

DanR said:


> Sample E from Desertlifter
> 
> Ok, this is my last sample. It's an aromatic with big chunks of dark black cavendish. I definately have not had this tobacco before, and quite honestly I dont think I would seek it out. Its not bad, just not my cup of tea. The aroma is mild and fruity, and the flavor upon lighting is sort of perfume-like, but with a hint of fruit. Whatever the flavoring is, it's very faint.
> 
> In searching threads to sort of cheat a little, I saw that you did a review of PS Black Current Cavendish not long ago, and while my experience with this tobacco isn't exactly like yours was, I'm gonna guess that it's that...


Exactly how I would describe this one. BCC seemed a bit goopy to send out to anyone not actively curious about it, but this one I actually like and thought worth a try.

Tobaccoreviews lists pecan as one of the flavorings with this, but I don't get that from it at all. It's McClelland Holiday Spirit - 2011, FWIW although I haven't seen any differences from year to year. Not my favorite aro, but I like it for a quick smoke when I'm on an empty stomach.


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

OK, guess it's my turn to take a seat in the "dunking booth"...

I can't quite figure out samples "B" & "C" yet and my tongue needed a rest after the lashing it received from "C" (gotta be a Mac Baren!).

Back to sample "A". Perfect wide, thin flakes that rubbed out to a fine consistency. Flavor was of a very light VA, slightly drying to the palate. No other tobacco constituents seemed to be present. Nice natural sweetness that reminded me of sipping the nectar out of honeysuckle flowers as a kid. No real grassy or "green"ness, so I assume this must be well aged. Quite aristocratic in it's subtlety. I really have to concentrate on keeping a slow pace since the flavor is so delightful, I want more of it, but it's giving up all it has. Even so, it keeps it composure even when puffed at. Relights are given without any penalty. 

When I first looked at this, Orlik Golden Sliced came to mind (even though I've never smoked that one.) Could be OGS or Capstan Gold or Bjarne Flake de Luxe.

I just have to assume that Sample "H" is Five Brothers. Looking at it took me back to my days of rolling Drum cigarettes... Came to me quite dry, but a couple hydrating breaths though the "business end" of the cob I packed made it burn with a little less spontaneity.
If this is a burley, I may actually be warming up to them. Not as stong as most have pumped this up to be. I can see this as a nice "reset" tobacco.


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Contrabass Bry said:


> OK, guess it's my turn to take a seat in the "dunking booth"...
> 
> I can't quite figure out samples "B" & "C" yet and my tongue needed a rest after the lashing it received from "C" (gotta be a Mac Baren!).


 Interesting, but not correct. None of the samples are MarBaren



Contrabass Bry said:


> Back to sample "A". Perfect wide, thin flakes that rubbed out to a fine consistency. Flavor was of a very light VA, slightly drying to the palate. No other tobacco constituents seemed to be present. Nice natural sweetness that reminded me of sipping the nectar out of honeysuckle flowers as a kid. No real grassy or "green"ness, so I assume this must be well aged. Quite aristocratic in it's subtlety. I really have to concentrate on keeping a slow pace since the flavor is so delightful, I want more of it, but it's giving up all it has. Even so, it keeps it composure even when puffed at. Relights are given without any penalty.
> 
> When I first looked at this, Orlik Golden Sliced came to mind (even though I've never smoked that one.) Could be OGS or Capstan Gold or Bjarne Flake de Luxe.


This is one of the tins I opened for this, I'll give you another chance to sample it before I give you the answer.



Contrabass Bry said:


> I just have to assume that Sample "H" is Five Brothers. Looking at it took me back to my days of rolling Drum cigarettes... Came to me quite dry, but a couple hydrating breaths though the "business end" of the cob I packed made it burn with a little less spontaneity.
> If this is a burley, I may actually be warming up to them. Not as stong as most have pumped this up to be. I can see this as a nice "reset" tobacco.


You are correct, it is 5 Bros. You're right about it being dry, and that's they way that it come in the pouch. This one has a couple years on it.


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## Hambone1 (May 31, 2011)

I have no idea what sample B was from Moose but it was delightful! Moose... where are you?????


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

I got a chance to smoke sample B from Mike. (I thought the rolls I reviewed last time were B but they were actually C)

This sample was a lighter english latakia blend. With a lot of light brown ribbons mixed in with the dark smoked leaf. Unfortunately, latakia has a tendency to over power my pallet. I's not that I don't enjoy these blends, I just have a difficult time tasting anything other that campfire. I'm going to take a wild ass guess at this one and say *Stokkebye Proper English*


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

Can't seem to wrap my head around "C". I'm gonna give up. If there was a main flavor component, it was "pain" as it raged a non-stop assault on my tongue. Had to be a chemical issue. Othere than that, just a sharp metaillic taste. If I had to venture a guess: New Bell's three Nuns or Villager Cocktail Hour.

"A" still seems like a VA flake, par excellence! Smoking in a conical bowl last night brought out a very slight (and I mean very) soap-y taste and some more bread-y flavors, but the lovely sweetness remained. Still behaved wonderfully and did not bite at all. Maybe Fribourg & Treyer Cut Blended Plug?

"D" had a topping that reminded me of Exhausted Rooster. I'll go with that.

"E" was a light collored, chop-cut tobacco. Most likely a VA/Bur blend. Had a nice "old time"-y flavor and smell and a nice sweetness that was inbetween brown sugar and honey. Could this be Middleton's Sugar Barrel?

"F" appears to be an aromatic of good quality. The chnky ribbons were still intact even though it arrived quite dry. MOstly (if not all) black cavendish with it's associated sweetness. WAG would be: Boswell's Maple Leaf, but I think I need a few more bowls before I offer a final guess.

"G" was an extremely light Latakia blend. Mostly dark leaf with a few strands of red-brown ribbon. Didn't pick up on anything besides Lat and Cav. Very non-offensive room note. Off the cuff, I'll say Boswell's Northwoods.

"A" was definately the superstar of the party and I cannot wait to hear what it is! Hopefully it is something that is still available and I can recreate in my lifetime as it was, truley, one of the more memorable smoking experinces I've had. 

Thank you, Derrick!

So, hold out on letting me know what "B" and "F" are. My guesses on the others aren't going to improve...


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Pretty impressive Bryan



Contrabass Bry said:


> Can't seem to wrap my head around "C". I'm gonna give up. If there was a main flavor component, it was "pain" as it raged a non-stop assault on my tongue. Had to be a chemical issue. Othere than that, just a sharp metaillic taste. If I had to venture a guess: New Bell's three Nuns or Villager Cocktail Hour. *C is in fact 3 Nuns
> *
> "A" still seems like a VA flake, par excellence! Smoking in a conical bowl last night brought out a very slight (and I mean very) soap-y taste and some more bread-y flavors, but the lovely sweetness remained. Still behaved wonderfully and did not bite at all. Maybe Fribourg & Treyer Cut Blended Plug? *You were very close with your first guess A is Capstan Blue*
> 
> ...


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

Wow, not too bad...

I'm surprised that Three Nuns came to mind at the end. Just doesn't agree with my chemistry, at all. This was "new" production, right?

Was your Capstan from a square or rectangular tin? Now there is the quest to attain some more of this stuff... Thanks for turning me on to this wonderful tobacco!!!


I have enjoyed my tins of Former's Staight Grain flake as it is super dark and potent. Would have sworn there was some burley in this one too. (I was getting the feeling that you were making this PBTT do "double-duty" as an attempt to sway me to the burley side. In a way, you have!)

Three Friars, huh? I didn't get one lick of perique out of that one and I enjoy that condiment so much that 90% of my cellar has it as a component. 


Back to picking apart that "B" and "F"!


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

The three nuns is from the round tin, and the capstan is from the square one.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Contrabass Bry said:


> Three Friars, huh? I didn't get one lick of perique out of that one and I enjoy that condiment so much that 90% of my cellar has it as a component.


:biglaugh: At least you didn't miss the perique in St. James Flake like I did! :spy: Great job, though, CB!! :tu (Edit -- I was thinking CQ got all those right!  Sorry Bryan! But great job on tobacco, too, CQ!)


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

Thanks for the opportunity to be able to smoke these rare birds!

What's your take on the Three Nuns? I was of the belief that the new version had removed the perique and replaced with Kentucky.


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## RupturedDuck (Jan 11, 2012)

Ok! Here we go with sample C!

This tobacco was at one time, a flake. Somewhere along the way, it broke up a little lengthwise, so it now looks like strips, but you can see how they all fit together to make flakes. It almost looks like this may have come from the tin a solid flake, and has perhaps broken up during shipping/handling. Scent is sweet, but I didn't detect topping flavors. It is a little lighter than Uni, without the plum or raisin tones.

The leaf takes to flame quite well. A little tamping after the original light was only necessary to collapse the ash that had expanded to a dome over my pipe's bowl edge. The tobacco was still burning merrily underneath. The smoke itself is thick and creamy. It is burning cool. I put a cleaner through the stem mostly to loosen the pack a little. There is no gurgle, but the cleaner did come out wet and dark. The flavor is sublty sweet, without a lot of complexity. I don't mean this as a way of criticism. The smoke is very enjoyable, and I could puff on this all day. The ash is very fine and dry. This is what I had imagined FVF to be, and it would be my call for this tobacco if that wasn't Sample B.

I'm currently working through my second bowl, and it looks like I've got at least 3 more to enjoy. It is a very good tobacco. It may be unlikely that two samples in a row are pure Virginia flakes, but I can't find anything to change my mind on this. I'm going to go with Dunhill Flake.

RD


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## Xodar (Mar 4, 2011)

RupturedDuck said:


> Ok! Here we go with sample C!
> 
> This is what I had imagined FVF to be, and it would be my call for this tobacco if that wasn't Sample B.
> 
> RD


I am 99% positive I did not transpose samples, but the irony is pretty funny. Sample B was FVF and you made a guess at MacB's Navy Flake. Sample C is MacB's Navy Flake and it seemed like FVF. I guess I am easily amused, lol. I buy MacB's NF by the pound, probably the most go-to of my go-to blends. Your description is great, it lights and burns great and the cavendish elements seem to make for a nice cool smoke. The casing is very light, probably the sweetness you describe.

Just for my own sanity, sample C is clearly the drier of the two flakes I sent your way?


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

freestoke said:


> :biglaugh: At least you didn't miss the perique in St. James Flake like I did! :spy: Great job, though, CB!! :tu (Edit -- I was thinking CQ got all those right!  Sorry Bryan! But great job on tobacco, too, CQ!)


No problem, Jim! This has been super fun and illuminating, as usual!!!

Big dose of respect to Derrick for keeping this fully-formed tradition alive!


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## RupturedDuck (Jan 11, 2012)

Xodar said:


> I am 99% positive I did not transpose samples, but the irony is pretty funny. Sample B was FVF and you made a guess at MacB's Navy Flake. Sample C is MacB's Navy Flake and it seemed like FVF. I guess I am easily amused, lol. I buy MacB's NF by the pound, probably the most go-to of my go-to blends. Your description is great, it lights and burns great and the cavendish elements seem to make for a nice cool smoke. The casing is very light, probably the sweetness you describe.
> 
> Just for my own sanity, sample C is clearly the drier of the two flakes I sent your way?


Wow, that is ironic!

It sounds like you have it right. Sample B was too moist out of the baggie, I had to let it dry a little to really shine. Sample C I smoked right out of the baggie. Also, sample B was in honest to goodness flakes, like it had come right out of the tin. Sample C looked like longer flakes, like it may have come from a 250g box of SG instead of a tin, and the flakes were starting to fall apart a little...all pointing to bulk flake tobacco.

Great smoke though. I'll definately be getting some more of that!

RD


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

Sample I tonight is a medium dark brown broken partially rubbed flake. I might have left this one open because it was very dry. I filled the bowl and breathed through it so that it wouldn’t crumble as I packed it. It lit well and burned cool. It was sweet with a malted barley flavor and citrus aftertaste. There was a lot of pepper as well but it was all in my nose. Hal O' the Wynd?


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

Commander Quan said:


> I got a chance to smoke sample B from Mike. (I thought the rolls I reviewed last time were B but they were actually C)
> 
> This sample was a lighter english latakia blend. With a lot of light brown ribbons mixed in with the dark smoked leaf. Unfortunately, latakia has a tendency to over power my pallet. I's not that I don't enjoy these blends, I just have a difficult time tasting anything other that campfire. I'm going to take a wild ass guess at this one and say *Stokkebye Proper English*


This is one that I really enjoy. Pipesandcicars Larry's Blend. I like it best very dry.


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

Want to know, or should I give you some more time with this one?


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

Contrabass Bry said:


> Want to know, or should I give you some more time with this one?


I think there is enough for a second bowl. I will try one more time tonight.
I really like the peppery nose from this one. it is more pronounced than any I have tried.
I found myself craving a scotch after finishing this one.


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

This one truely deserves a nice scotch to go with it. You're so close...


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Onward to Sample D. This one's been the most interesting so far. The scent in the bag is a smokey latakia scent, and to be honest I almost skipped straight to E to give myself a break from the last sample, but decided to give it a go anyways. This one is a bit chunkier, and has big hunks to leaf mixed in with some smaller bits. I filled the pipe and took a quick puff to test the draw before going outside, and the heaviness from the latakia didn't come though, it was almost sweet. I had smoked 3-4 bowl of English Chocolate in this pipe on Monday while I was golfing, so I thought maybe it still has a slight ghost from that blend.

Smoking this blend was very pleasant. The sweetness and smokiness balanced each other well, and the scent while smoking was nice. The bowl stayed consistent throughout the smoke. This is another tough one for me to guess since it's not something I would normally pick for myself, but I'm interested to know what it is. This is one that I would add to the next order, just to keep around. I'm going to guess *Peterson Old Dublin*.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

Commander Quan said:


> Onward to Sample D. This one's been the most interesting so far. The scent in the bag is a smokey latakia scent, and to be honest I almost skipped straight to E to give myself a break from the last sample, but decided to give it a go anyways. This one is a bit chunkier, and has big hunks to leaf mixed in with some smaller bits. I filled the pipe and took a quick puff to test the draw before going outside, and the heaviness from the latakia didn't come though, it was almost sweet. I had smoked 3-4 bowl of English Chocolate in this pipe on Monday while I was golfing, so I thought maybe it still has a slight ghost from that blend.
> 
> Smoking this blend was very pleasant. The sweetness and smokiness balanced each other well, and the scent while smoking was nice. The bowl stayed consistent throughout the smoke. This is another tough one for me to guess since it's not something I would normally pick for myself, but I'm interested to know what it is. This is one that I would add to the next order, just to keep around. I'm going to guess *Peterson Old Dublin*.


I got this one from a local shop. it was bulk labelled Dunhill My Mixture 965. Since I haven't tried it from a tin I'm not sure if it's Dunhill or a copy. The shop had dunhill tins and bulk, but I haven't seen bulk anywhere else.


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

I too would be interested to know if it's the real deal or not. Dunhill used to bulk tobacco available, but that was with their old distributor, and back in 2008. I'll have to pick up a tin and see how in compares. Thanks for sending this I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

This place has been in th mall since I was a kid so anything is possible.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

Try # 2 with sample I in a briar instead of a cob. Tonight I paired it with a dark peaty single malt scotch to see if I could pull anything new. It started off the same sweet grain in the mouth and all pepper in the nose. Scotch is a great compliment to this tobacco, not because they complement each other but more because they do not dilute each other. Halfway through the bowl the smoke started to thin so I applied a second match. At this point it was a lot hotter than I like to smoke but there was no bite. I kept pushing it and the peppery nose was replaced by sweet wet hay and the taste was more a sweet vatted malt. I could actually hear a sizzle when I put the bowl to my ear and still no bite. I still want to call it Hal O the Wind, but if I ignore my nose my next guess is Old Gowrie. It may be the beers I had with dinner and the scotch or the tobacco, but I was left with a pleasant floaty feeling. I really enjoyed this sample and I am guessing it had several years to mellow and mature.


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

Commander Quan said:


> I too would be interested to know if it's the real deal or not. Dunhill used to bulk tobacco available, but that was with their old distributor, and back in 2008. I'll have to pick up a tin and see how in compares. Thanks for sending this I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did.


I will have to go back and see if they have any Royal Yacht as bulk. If it is from 2008 I wouldnt mind paying more for it than tins if it had some age.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Some dastardly rat sent me a couple of bags labeled 5 and 6 today. Well, tomorrow is taken (my father's 80th!), but I'll get busy Sunday.


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

You, sir, are a machine! Old Gowrie, it is!

You'll be hard pressed to find anymore like it as this was from a 20-20 year old tin. I've been having great fun with it and plan on posting a contest so that someone else can have a taste. 

Could we create a "Golden Palate" award for this guy?!? Un-be-lievable...


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

I saw this in a movie once-Bryan's feeding him the answers!


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> I saw this in a movie once-Bryan's feeding him the answers!


_Schüler Schartig ist verzogen_. There is no "Mike". Bryan and Derrick made him up. There were no samples exchanged or smoked at all with "Mike". Read the story sometime. :lol:


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

It would appear that way, wouldn't it? Guess we should have played it up more...:spy:

Back on topic: I should have paid more attention to CQ's sample "D" as I know see what he was playing at.
From a 1,000 foot view, he had 2 look-alikes (B & C) flanked by 2 taste-alikes (A & D). Well played, sir!


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

*Sample No. 6:*

Well, this one was easy. One look and I knew it was a Samuel Gawith flake. One whiff, and I knew it was Chocolate Flake. I figured it would only be courteous to smoke a bowl before posting, so I did just that, fired it up, and...it's not SG Chocolate Flake. I don't think it's even SG. So much for easy...

While I could smell chocolate in the tin aroma, none was apparent at all in the smoke, nor was latakia apparent. In fact, the only noticeable flavor when first lighting is that good ol' Lakeland soap. Naturally, this faded as the bowl progressed, and left what seems to me to be a straight Virginia. Seems more likely upon smoking that this is one of those Gawith, Hoggarth blends, but it's in 'tin flakes' not bulk flakes. So, I'm going with Best Brown No. 2.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> *Sample No. 6:*
> 
> Well, this one was easy. One look and I knew it was a Samuel Gawith flake. One whiff, and I knew it was Chocolate Flake. I figured it would only be courteous to smoke a bowl before posting, so I did just that, fired it up, and...it's not SG Chocolate Flake. I don't think it's even SG. So much for easy...
> 
> While I could smell chocolate in the tin aroma, none was apparent at all in the smoke, nor was latakia apparent. In fact, the only noticeable flavor when first lighting is that good ol' Lakeland soap. Naturally, this faded as the bowl progressed, and left what seems to me to be a straight Virginia. Seems more likely upon smoking that this is one of those Gawith, Hoggarth blends, but it's in 'tin flakes' not bulk flakes. So, I'm going with Best Brown No. 2.


I don't find any "soapy" content in it at all, but I think I may not be very sensitive to it, especially at my stage of Ennerdale degeneracy. I don't think there is supposed to be any Lakeland component at all, but if the GH&Co. shop bears any resemblance to the SG shop, anything is possible. It's a straight Va with vanilla and chocolate topping on it, Scotch Flake Aromatic (also known as Scented). Smells just like a chocolate candy bar, huh!? :lol: I love the stuff, pretty close to my favorite Va flake. (For whatever that may be worth after this year's PBTT. :spy The sample is from a 500 gr brick, not tinned, so it could have sat on stack of Kendal's Flake during shipment.

Anyhow, pretty close, Mark! :tu


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## Hambone1 (May 31, 2011)

Moose posted he is taking some time off to spend with the wife. He hasn't posted in this thread since the initial signup. I don't know the samples he sent me nor how he liked the samples I sent him. Oh well....


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

freestoke said:


> I don't find any "soapy" content in it at all, but I think I may not be very sensitive to it, especially at my stage of Ennerdale degeneracy. I don't think there is supposed to be any Lakeland component at all, but if the GH&Co. shop bears any resemblance to the SG shop, anything is possible. It's a straight Va with vanilla and chocolate topping on it, Scotch Flake Aromatic (also known as Scented). Smells just like a chocolate candy bar, huh!? :lol: I love the stuff, pretty close to my favorite Va flake. (For whatever that may be worth after this year's PBTT. :spy The sample is from a 500 gr brick, not tinned, so it could have sat on stack of Kendal's Flake during shipment.
> 
> Anyhow, pretty close, Mark! :tu


Interesting. Since I didn't taste any chocolate while smoking, I figured I was just hallucinating. Mind you, that was a pretty serious hallucination; as you say, it smells like a chocolate bar! As for the soap, I seem to taste it in pretty much everything they make, whether it's supposed to have it or not. The ones that supposedly don't have it fade fast, so I'm thinking they just have all their blends piled up in one warehouse, and it transfers over. That or my taste receptors are just insane, something we must consider after this blindfold test!


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Hambone1 said:


> Moose posted he is taking some time off to spend with the wife. He hasn't posted in this thread since the initial signup. I don't know the samples he sent me nor how he liked the samples I sent him. Oh well....


Well, that sucks. Sorry it didn't work out, Shawn.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Hambone1 said:


> Moose posted he is taking some time off to spend with the wife. He hasn't posted in this thread since the initial signup. I don't know the samples he sent me nor how he liked the samples I sent him. Oh well....


He was on at nine this morning. Guess he's lost interest.


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Did you send him a PM requesting the answers?


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## RupturedDuck (Jan 11, 2012)

Sample D from John (Xodar)

Holy wow!

The baggie had a sweet, smokey flavor. Smells like there may be some latakia in there. The appearance is chopped...smallish pieces of leaf. I loaded up a Viprati Canadian that is almost impossibly light. Somehow this pipe felt perfect for this tobacco. I lit the top of the bowl with my Old Boy, and slowly sipped trying to pick out the subtle flavorings.

*WHAP!

*Nothing subtle about the maduro leaf in this one! I picked up the bag and took another whiff to see how I possibly could have missed it. Nope, no cigar in the baggie...sweet and docile. I relit my pipe.

*WHAM!*

Hrm...well definately a strong cigar presence, no matter what the baggie notes were telling me. A couple of puffs in I was reminded that I hadn't had breakfast today, and it is pushing past lunchtime. Hiccups, a couple of good natured belches. This is strong stuff! Good lord! I set the pipe down and let it go out as I grabbed a glass of water and settled down. Relit it again, set it back down and ate an English muffin. Relit it again. This is strong stuff. I like it a lot, but holy mackeral! Yesterday I smoked a bowl of Flake Medallions, some HH Vintage Syrian, Red Rapparee, HH Acadian Perique (that stuff is a little strong) and a Padron, no worries. The bowl of Sample D is my first pipe of the day, and it is besting me!

I am looking forward to another bowl of this after dinner. I think this is a later in the day tobacco. It burns cool and dry, and it relights easily. I imagine it would burn straight to the bottom if I didn't keep having to put it down. I will include a tub of this in my next order. I believe that this is:

*PURPLE COW

*RD


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Mike sorry it's taken me so long to get through these, on to Sample E

Sample E is a light colored sweet smelling Va flake. The flakes broke apart easily, so I folded one over a couple times and stuffed it in a pipe. This tobacco burned well, and had zero edginess to it. I would smoke it again. When I smelled the flake initially it reminded me of honey, so I'm going to guess this one is C&D Sunday Afternoon.


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## Hambone1 (May 31, 2011)

Commander Quan said:


> Did you send him a PM requesting the answers?


Yes, no response. I even gave him a good trader feed back and he hasn't given me one yet. I assume that life has thrown him for a loop, cause it does that from time to time. But at the same time I see that he has been on the forums in other sections. Oh well, no biggie.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Huh. He's been posting in the pipe section as well. No biggie, maybe, but certainly poor form...


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

*Sample No. 5*

A nice light Virginia/latakia mix in the one cut (shag) I simply cannot deal with. I have to laugh when I read about shag being popular with fishermen, etc., because it was easy to pack and keep lit. Keep lit, maybe, but pack? What a pain! Anyway, the only long stringy shag I've had that resembled this was Gawith, Hoggarth's Dark Birdseye, so I'm going to have to go with that blender. From the descriptions, I don't think it's No. 12, as it isn't really a latakia powerhouse, so I'll go with Gawith, Hoggarth BulkNo. 20.


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## rogypipe (May 29, 2012)

sorry guys but I want to ask you a question.
Can you recognize famous blends while your eyes are shut ?
Who can tell the names of tobacco types in the blend they smoke with a %100 percentage ?
Really wonder because I think I am really talented at that lol hehhe:amen:


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## rogypipe (May 29, 2012)

Just send me a tobacco bomb..and do not tell the name or ingredient tobaccos. I will write here with a %75 percentage ..Any one up ??


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Well, I imagine we'll have another blind taste test next year; you should sign up for it.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> *Sample No. 5*
> 
> A nice light Virginia/latakia mix in the one cut (shag) I simply cannot deal with. I have to laugh when I read about shag being popular with fishermen, etc., because it was easy to pack and keep lit. Keep lit, maybe, but pack? What a pain! Anyway, the only long stringy shag I've had that resembled this was Gawith, Hoggarth's Dark Birdseye, so I'm going to have to go with that blender. From the descriptions, I don't think it's No. 12, as it isn't really a latakia powerhouse, so I'll go with Gawith, Hoggarth BulkNo. 20.


Pretty damn close I think! It's Esoterica And So To Bed. From tobakrevs:

*Finest grade Virginia and Maryland type tobaccos are carefully aged and blended with Greek Oriental leaf and top-grade Cyprian Latakia. The blend is then specially processed and additionally matured to produce a mellow full strength smoke with rich flavor and unique aroma.*

Sorry, Mark! Thought that since you liked the Vintage Syrian you might like ASTB. out: Definitely an 80% credit for this one! :tu


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## Xodar (Mar 4, 2011)

RupturedDuck said:


> Sample D from John (Xodar)
> 
> Holy wow!
> 
> ...


That was an absolutely great review Gabriel. Both my father and myself had the same reaction to that tobacco. No cigar leaf that I am aware of, but a healthy dose of perique and burley, nicotine content through the roof. You had the blender right, that is Old Joe Krantz from C & D. Very rarely does one bowl even get close to my vitamin N threshhold, but OJK just kicks my a$$. I smoke it in small bowls after a meal. It does have a tendency to get bitey if you smoke it too fast, but as strong as it is that is tough to do.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Old Joe Krantz, eh? Might have to give that a go. I think I'm getting close to three pipe cleaner orders together now! Definitely a good review! :tu


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## RupturedDuck (Jan 11, 2012)

Xodar said:


> No cigar leaf that I am aware of, but a healthy dose of perique and burley, nicotine content through the roof. You had the blender right, that is Old Joe Krantz from C & D. Very rarely does one bowl even get close to my vitamin N threshhold, but OJK just kicks my a$$. I smoke it in small bowls after a meal. It does have a tendency to get bitey if you smoke it too fast, but as strong as it is that is tough to do.


Wow really? I was sure this was going to be either Billy Budd or Purple Cow. From P&C's description:

_Dark and Cube Cut Burley with red Va ribbon and Perique create a smooth, all day smoke. MEDIUM BODIED _

ALL DAY SMOKE??? Who the heck could smoke this stuff all day?

Growing up, when my next door neighbor was in his 90s, he still went up in the woods, cut down trees, loaded it up in his old truck, chopped it, and sold it off as firewood. I remember we used to buy cords from him. He'd dump it in our back yard an split it (albeit with a gas powered splitter) while we would stack it. I was in Jr. High, and kind of felt bad for making him split my firewood, but this is what the guy was doing for a living back then. He also smoked Camel no filters. If he smoked a pipe, he is about the only person that I can imagine loading up a bowl of this in the morning, and smoking it all day.

Good stuff though. Thank you very much John. I really enjoyed the samples you sent, and trying to pick out what is in them, what I like about them, and then guessing as to what they could possibly be. I can't wait until next year's!

RD


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## RupturedDuck (Jan 11, 2012)

freestoke said:


> Pretty damn close I think! It's Esoterica And So To Bed. From tobakrevs:
> 
> *Finest grade Virginia and Maryland type tobaccos are carefully aged and blended with Greek Oriental leaf and top-grade Cyprian Latakia. The blend is then specially processed and additionally matured to produce a mellow full strength smoke with rich flavor and unique aroma.*
> 
> Sorry, Mark! Thought that since you liked the Vintage Syrian you might like ASTB. out: Definitely an 80% credit for this one! :tu


Is ASTB shag cut?

RD


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

RupturedDuck said:


> Is ASTB shag cut?
> 
> RD


I suppose you could call it shag as easy as ribbon. Five Brothers is supposedly shag and ASTB is close to that fine a cut. The old Flying Dutchman was called ribbon and was even finer than ASTB, but I'm not sure where the line is on shag vs. ribbon, really. You could definitely roll a cigarette with ASTB, though, and cigarettes are shag cut I think.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

freestoke said:


> Sorry, Mark! Thought that since you liked the Vintage Syrian you might like ASTB. out: Definitely an 80% credit for this one! :tu


Hey, taste-wise, it's a nice blend and one I'd probably pick up again...I just hate packing shag!


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## RupturedDuck (Jan 11, 2012)

freestoke said:


> I suppose you could call it shag as easy as ribbon. Five Brothers is supposedly shag and ASTB is close to that fine a cut. The old Flying Dutchman was called ribbon and was even finer than ASTB, but I'm not sure where the line is on shag vs. ribbon, really. You could definitely roll a cigarette with ASTB, though, and cigarettes are shag cut I think.


Hrm. I bought some ASTB from the trade forum...even gave some to Xodar as part of the PBTT. Thing is, it came in a baggie labeled ...And So To Bed. It could be just about anything. It doens't look anything near to Five Brothers. I'd say it looks closer to Red Raparree. Now I am wondering wth I've been smoking!

RD


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

RupturedDuck said:


> Is ASTB shag cut?
> 
> RD


It shouldn't be called shag, it should be called "excelsior cut"; it's like pulling a wad of Spanish moss off of a tree and trying to load your pipe... 
If there's a cut out there that's finer than this, I don't want to know about it!


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

I packed the rest of the cob plug in a MM general, I only got a little past midway and I felt so good it was time to stop. Does cob plug do this to anyone besides me? I think I may be smoking a little fast, but it's so good, sweet and flavor packed I just can't help myself. This stuff really does it for me, more so than the 1792 flake or XX rope.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

I honestly think most reaction to nicotine is due to other things than the strength of the tobacco. I don't know what; maybe mood, maybe weather, who knows? All I know is I just smoked a bowl of HOTW that kicked my a$$, and I normally smoke bowl after bowl of this stuff...


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

mikebjrtx said:


> I packed the rest of the cob plug in a MM general, I only got a little past midway and I felt so good it was time to stop. Does cob plug do this to anyone besides me? I think I may be smoking a little fast, but it's so good, sweet and flavor packed I just can't help myself. This stuff really does it for me, more so than the 1792 flake or XX rope.


That's the stuff! My preference is for Cob Plug over 1792, but I'll take what I can get...
One you understand these 2 tobaccos, they are really good. If you're still "poking around' with them, they can be a swampy, unappealing mess.



> I honestly think most reaction to nicotine is due to other things than the strength of the tobacco. I don't know what; maybe mood, maybe weather, who knows? All I know is I just smoked a bowl of HOTW that kicked my a$$, and I normally smoke bowl after bowl of this stuff...


I agree. Mood does play a significant factor. Works the same with alcohol, for me too.


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Bryan are you done with those other 2 samples? If not that's fine, I just don't want to leave you hanging if you're ready.


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

I've got "B" in my pouch to give a final "go round" at lunch in a few minutes. 

I have no idea what that aromatic was. You can tell me that one.


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

That one was Davidoff Cool (Blue)


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> I honestly think most reaction to nicotine is due to other things than the strength of the tobacco. I don't know what; maybe mood, maybe weather, who knows? All I know is I just smoked a bowl of HOTW that kicked my a$$, and I normally smoke bowl after bowl of this stuff...


I don't know, Mark. PA just never gives me the hiccups, if you get my drift, but a big bowl of Irish Flake will actually cause me problems on an empty stomach. I do think the stomach will absorb nicotine as well as the tongue and sinuses, so diluting that dose out with some food keeps the nicotine away from the stomach walls, absolutely packed with nerves busily delivering sensory data to the "ancient brain" that works about the same as your local lizard's, timing squirts of hydrochloric acid with messages to the liver to bring on the bile and autonomically snapping shut the pyloric sphincter. Nicotine can confuse the stomach's little software package that tells it when to get rid of things, too. The nicotine actually has to be there, though, and some things just don't have much. I can see how HOTW could gang up on you, but Happy Bogie is good for a solo tackle.


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

Davidoff Cool. Interesting. It did burn cool enough, but I was left a little wanting for flavor and body. For what it is, a very congenial smoke.

I'll going to have to make a guess on "B" already, this has been protracted long enough. What I had originally thought was a "honey" like sweetness has now revealed a more fruity flavor. All I can guess is Villager Cocktail Hour. Whatever it is, I would like to find out as I can see thins making it's way onto my next order!

Thanks again, brother!


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

The last one was Wessex Sovereign Curly Cut, which is supposed to be clone or match to 3 Nuns, but it's interesting that you liked one and not the other. This was another of the tins I opened for the taste test, so I'll be giving it a go shortly.


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

Gahhh! That was the other one of my guesses! No matter. I really liked this one. I only sensed the Perique at the very beginning, after that it was a rather sweet ride. 

Thinking you'll really like this one!

I'm surprised as well. That Three Nuns was just accosting my tongue. Never got a chance to pick up on any flavors.


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## Hambone1 (May 31, 2011)

In case Moose ever wants to know what I sent him... A = McClelland's Frog Morton on the Bayou B = Rattray Hal O the Wynd


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## mikebjrtx (May 21, 2012)

Commander Quan said:


> Mike sorry it's taken me so long to get through these, on to Sample E
> 
> Sample E is a light colored sweet smelling Va flake. The flakes broke apart easily, so I folded one over a couple times and stuffed it in a pipe. This tobacco burned well, and had zero edginess to it. I would smoke it again. When I smelled the flake initially it reminded me of honey, so I'm going to guess this one is C&D Sunday Afternoon.


Sorry I haven't replied sooner, It is Newminster Superior Flake. I enjoy chewing a little of it on occasion because of it's sweet fruity flavor. Especially before smoking a bowl to wake up my tastebuds.


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